


My Best Friend is a Magical Girl

by Zhyn_Porcelain



Category: Original Work
Genre: Childhood Friends, Eventual Romance, Magical Girls, Multi, Nonbinary Character, Original Character(s), POV Alternating, POV First Person, Romantic Friendship, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:07:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 29,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24842764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zhyn_Porcelain/pseuds/Zhyn_Porcelain
Summary: I'm just a creative writing major trying to make it through life one day at a time. My best friend is a heroine of justice, protector of dreams and wishes. I don't really envy her, but I'll be there as her supporting character as long as she needs me. After all, she doesn't have anyone else to share her exciting life with.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 3





	1. Saving the Day is Just Another Tuesday

**Author's Note:**

> You ever have an idea and just decide to run with it?

There is fire and smoke, ruins and carnage, and absolute chaos on the TV. My mother sits on the couch and watches in horror as buildings in the nearby city are knocked to the ground by a behemoth of a beast. I sit at the kitchen table, shoving sugary cereal into my face and watching the time.

45 minutes until I had to be on campus...

I glance at the news on the television, nearly missing my next spoonful of sugary goodness. 

She's running late...

My mom is in a panic, staring at the footage the same way she always does. Her eyes are almost watering, her hands over her mouth, until...

"Stop right there you heathen!"

Finally, the high pitched melody of a voice shows up to announce its owners presence. My mother lights up and drops her hands into her lap and watches in confusion. I can't help but smile at her reaction.

Now that the hero is here, I pick up the pace with my breakfast and start nearly inhaling my food.

"Whoever you are hurting, I won't accept this! You're just an ugly fabrication of someone's dearest wish!"

I finish eating and begin to wash my dishes off in the sink. I take a quick glance at the television to see how long I have, only to be greeted by a frustratingly shaking camera and images of bright pastel beams shooting across the screen. They supposed to come with sound effects, but it appears the news crew isn't close enough to pick up the noise.

I finish up the dishes and set them to dry before grabbing my prepacked backpack from next to the front door.

I search in my bag to make sure I have all of my essentials, and dig out my car keys. 

"I'm heading out early. We have a study session before today's test."

Mom turns her head to look at me, "No, honey. It's not safe. Look at the news."

"It's time for you to give back that person's beautiful wish! Opaque resonance!"

I rolled my eyes at her shouting. Did she always have to shout everything she was doing?

"I think I'll be fine. She sounds like she is almost done." Faster than expected too...

"What do you mean?"

I go over to the couch and give her a peck on the cheek, "Have a good day at work, Mom. See you later."

She tries to grab my hand, but I pull away and run out before she can get another word in. She won't remember any of this in a few minutes anyway. I make my way out of the door and head down the apartment's shared hallway and out to the parking lot where my clunker is waiting for me.

She isn't pretty, but she's reliable and sturdy and gets the job done. I've had a bit of work done on her, like her new dark blue paint job and fixing up or switching out her old parts, but it's clear she's at least a decade or two old.

I use my key to open the car door and hop in to the driver seat. I figure that if traffic is low it will take me 20 minutes to drive into town. I sigh, noting that I should have left earlier.

It doesn't matter. My friend is expecting me to pick her up and, as such a good friend, I have to be there to help her.

I start up the car and, after the third attempt, the old girl finally starts up.

~~On the Road~~

Traffic was backed up to the nines. The mess in the city had apparently blocked the road and kept the line of cars from moving. Unfortunately, that put me behind schedule by nearly 15 minutes.

About 11 minutes into my gridlock, my phone vibrated on the seat next to me. I glanced over to see the message: Come get me plz :P

After confirming the cars wouldn't be moving just yet, I picked it up and pressed call.

It rang twice before the other end picked up, "Helloooooo!"

"I'm on my way into the city right now. Where are you at?"

She paused before answering me, "Outside a restaurant. Give me a moment and I'll check." There was a moment of silence and the sound of clicking nails against a phone screen before she returned and gave be the address. 

"I think I know where that is. I can be there in about 4 minutes if this traffic would ever move."

"It is really that bad?"

"You were shooting lasers all over the place and hitting buildings, of course it is bad."

"I'm sorry! It's all cleaned up now. I'm just still learning how to control opaque resonance. It's really hard."

I sigh, "Yeah, well, just sit tight. I'll be there soon." I hang up with her and chuckle to myself. Being a magical girl sounds pretty hard and I do not envy her.

  
~~Campus~~

  
I wasn't lying about the study session before class. Unfortunately, however, the traffic jam around the city had made me and a lot of people miss it completely. Worse yet, the professor decided they don't believe in extenuating circumstances due to, and I quote, "idiot drivers that don't know how to use their gas pedal". That meant the exam was going to happen regardless. I felt bad for my classmates that still hadn't managed to make it in to class due to the backup.

I wasn't a bad student, I just would have liked to study beforehand. Thankfully, I was sure my understanding of the topic was sufficient enough not to fail the exam. 

The professor put the exam face down on their front table, telling everyone to grab one and get started. I look at the short blonde haired girl next to me and shrug, heading towards the front table to grab an exam. She follows behind me and sits down in the desk next to me.

I groan internally as I look through the exam, seeing open-response and essay questions front and back. I would imagine how Nikki was feeling, if not for the fact that her face was twisted into an obvious look of terror right next to me.

I chuckl and dig a pen out if my backpack to get started.


	2. Daily Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not every moment is watching Nikki save the day. Most of the time, it's just two friends hanging out and being normal people.

Nikki let's out an over exaggerated sigh as she walks out of the lecture hall. It took her 25 more minutes than me to finish the exam, which doesn't surprise me given that she is terrible at writing. She runs up to me and throws her arms around me, nearly in tears. I pat her head and slowly pry her arms from around me.

"It wasn't that bad." I tell her.

"It was terrible. How can you expect anyone to answer so many questions in only an hour and a half?"

"It was seven questions and only one was an essay."

"You only say that because writing is your thing. Every other normal person knows that multiple choice is superior."

"For a history class?"

"It's not even related to our majors! They can't really expect us to know about it."

"It's an entry level class that covers the same stuff we learned in highschool..."

"You," she emphasized the word, "learned it. I wasn't in your fancy advanced class."

I smile awkwardly at her, unsure how to respond to that. I didn't quite know what the normal classes had covered in highschool, but apparently it wasn't what I expected.

"Whatever, Miss Perfect." She puts on a pout, and shifts her satchel on her shoulder, "Lunch is on me, since I made you late today. I know you wanted to go to the study session, so... sorry."

I shrug, "Eh. Saving the city seems more important."

"Of course it is!" 

I feel my stomach drop at the sound of a third voice coming from Nikki's satchel. A small fluffy head pokes out of her bag and stares at her with pride.

"Tranquitty is the protector of humanity and her job it more important than anything!"

I stare at Nikki, ignoring the thing in her bag, "I still hate the name you choose."

"I thought it was clever! It's a kitty of tranquility."

"Why are you like this?"

"Her name is brilliant!" The nasally voice chirps up again, "And it is due to the exact nature that made her come up with that name that she is the best candidate to be Tranquitty!"

"Yeah. You've given me this lecture before. She's so pure and good and infallible. Her sparkling heart gives her the power to overcome the negative energy that has overtaken and distorted people's wishes."

"You are saying the words, but I don't think you understand what they really mean!"

That fluffball is always yelling when it speaks. I would be concerned about the entire world hearing him, but, according to him, only people who know the secret of him and Tranquitty can see or understand him. Apparently it has something to do with the inherent magic he lets into the world? I don't pretend to understand it.

"Tranquitty is the manifestation of the will of the universe and protector of people's wishes!" 

"You make me sound so cool, Angi." Nikki beams with absolute pride.

"You are cool! The coolest! You're my hero, Nikki."

"Brown-noser..." I mutter under my breath.

Angi turns to look at me and laughs, "Don't be jealous that Nikki is cooler than you."

I roll my eyes and go back to ignoring him. He's always been a little pest that kisses up to Nikki over every little thing. For some reason, he didn't really seem to like me.

Nikki, on the other hand, was quick to defend me, "Stop it, Angi. You're being mean." Who could ask for a better friend?

Angi nodded and ducked back into Nikki's satchel, obviously trying to avoid a fight and running the risk of getting on Nikki's bad side.

"So... lunch?" I ask, excited to figure out what place she could have in mind.

"Oh! Yeah! That place you picked me up in front of looks so good. I think it's Mediterranean or something."

It's too early for lunch, but I figure after my next class I will be ready to drive out and order something.

"You nearly knocked it over and you don't even remember?"

Sometimes, Nikki worries me. She was a genuinely good person, but her brain was a little scattered. I almost fear that if I ever disappeared, she wouldn't be able to function properly. Well, even if I wasn't there to help her, I'm sure her family could find someone or something to do it. They have enough money to have her never think or worry about another thing in her life.

"The heat of battle makes it harder to remember everything." Nikki said, "But it did smell really good."

"Yeah, sure." I muss her hair and laugh, "After my next class, okay? You should really spend some time in the library and finish your art history paper. Isn't it due in about a week?"

"I already finished it." She beamed with pride.

I stared at her deadpan, "Have you proofread it and double checked the citations?"

Silence.

"Thought so. C'mon, you can do it. You do the first review and I will help you with the second. I don't know much about art history, admittedly, but if you did it right your paper should explain even without my limited knowledge."

"...why do you suck?" She mumbled and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Fine. You can do it on your own."

"No. Please help me. I need you!" She started begging.

"Library. I'll be out later, then we can go eat. You can even spend the last half hour looking at the menu so you can recommend something good."

Her eyes lit up, "Yeah, when it comes to food leave it to me!"

That was the Nikki I knew. Student by day, magical girl by night, epicurean at all the times. I was actually surprised she didn't go to culinary school. She's the best cook I know. Why she chose art over cooking was a mystery to me.

"You are such a glutton, Nikki!" Angi's voice chirps out of Nikki's bag again, "You are lucky your power keeps your body in top fighting condition otherwise you would need to worry about gaining excess weight! Not that I expect that would ever be an issue for you!" I could almost her the 'unlike your friend' just from the tone of his voice.

"Just make sure she finishes, Angi. She can't go failing her classes. Her first year GPA will determine how it goes for basically the entirety of the rest of her years, and she'll be kicked out if she drops too low in even a single class."

"Well, I believe in Nikki!"

She smiles at that and I feel like she is being played like a fiddle. That little fluffy kiss-up is the master of playing her.

"Whatever." I say, "See you after class."

I take off away from her, hoping I can make it across campus in time before my next class starts. It's not a test like my last one, but I don't want to miss any important announcements or notes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am just trying to build up the dynamics of the characters and who they are. It would help me know if I am on the right track if you told me what you thought about them or their relationship.


	3. Supporting Character Diary: How it Started

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was 8 months ago when it happened. Nikki and I were together. It was the end to a fun day, then everything started going wrong...

It was about 8 months ago, towards the end of our senior highschool year. It was spring break and Nikki had decided to invite me to go with her family to a grand amusement park; the kind with hotel rooms that cost enough per week to pay someone's monthly rent and dining so fine you could feel your taste buds orgasming with each bite. I had tried to turn her down and explain that it was too expensive, but she and her parents insisted. They even paid for my plane ticket when I told them I couldn't dream of affording to even get out there. Such a nice gesture was appriciated, but it made me uncomfortable to have them spend so much on me.

But that amusement park was where it happened.

Nikki had dragged me away from her family after dinner and insisted on us waiting in line for the ferris wheel. I admit that it was the largest ferris wheel I had ever seen in my life, but I wasn't really excited to ride it. The apparent ride time was nearly half an hour while the waiting line was almost fifteen minutes. That was a long time to stand and sit around without doing anything. But if it made her happy...

"We're next!" Nikki was practically jumping for joy at that point.

"Yeah. Can't wait to finally sit down." I stared off slightly to the side, watching as the next car slowly came around, "I can't believe this is one of the shortest lines. These places are really popular, not that I didn't already know that."

"It's simply magical." The attendant went to open the door to the car and let out the previous riders. As a man and a woman stepped out holding hands, she leaned over to whisper to me, "Think they're a couple?"

I glanced down at their clasped hands, "Probably."

She pushed a strand of blonde hair out of her face and behind her ear as the attendant motioned us forward, "They look happy."

"I guess." I stepped forward with her, "Seems pretty hard not to be happy when you're here with your partner."

A smile spread across her face. I wondered if she was thinking of someone in particular in that moment. I figured she had a crush on somebody, but I wasn't sure who it was. There were a few candidates, but she hadn't told me any names.

I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, remembering my last girlfriend and how badly that relationship had ended. She said we weren't compatible and I didn't disagree. Actually, she had given me an entire tearful lecture on how bad of a partner I was. Something about never making her my priority and how I treated her like everyone else I met. We'd only been together for five months, but I did feel bad about seeing her cry so much.

Nikki took her seat in the car and I sat on the opposite side of her. The attendant closed the door behind us and gave a thumbs up to the ride operator as soon as we were both safely seated.

The ferris wheel started a bit abruptly, but its movement was so smooth you could barely tell the thing was moving.

The car was filled with silence for the first few seconds as we both stared out the windows at the world drifting away below.

"You know," I spoke up, "I haven't actually been in one of these things since I was really little."

"I get that. Most people aren't really into these types of rides. I really like them, personally, because I like to see the world from high up." She kept looking out the window, "It's the kind of view you only get from this special place. Never been on this one though. I heard the view it really pretty though."

"Are you sure we'll be able to see it? It is pretty dark right now."

"I hope so." She smiled and shrugged and turned to look at me, "Hey, you already got back your college acceptance letters, right?"

I nodded, "Yeah. I went with my first choice. They offered me an academic scholarship, so I won't have to take out any loans as long as I keep my GPA up. I'll probably have to keep my part-time job to have some spare spending money and help mom with the rent unless I win the lottery."

She shifted awkwardly in her seat, "Well, you know, I got mine back... I got accepted too..."

I looked at her in surprise. I knew she had applied, but I honestly didn't expect her to get in. I had applied because they were well known for their creative writing course and I had the grades to back up my application. On the other hand, she was more into culinary arts (a program they didn't have) and had pretty average grades.

"Congratulations!" I put on a smile, happy for her accomplishment despite my shock, "Any other offers yet?"

"Not many. Actually, I think I've gotten more rejections than acceptance letters." She adjusted the piece of hair behind her ear again, "I was thinking of accepting that offer. If I did, we'd be going to the same school..."

The car was filled with silence as my brain went blank. Nikki was my best friend, but... something felt off about her following me to college. Of course she was free to go wherever she wanted, but...

"Are you upset?" She asked me, her voice nearly quivering.

I shook my head, feeling guilty for making her feel bad, "No, I just didn't think we'd both pick the same place."

Her eyes lit up with relief as I turn to look out the window again, "Our entire childhood together and now college. Most people couldn't brag about that."

She just nodded and turned her eyes to the floor. I continued to watch the world outside fall further and further beneath us. The ground and skyline were illuminated with the vibrant colors of a million lights guiding the people below as we grew nearer to the top of the wheel. It was like a river of tiny, unmoving fireflies flying beneath us.

The car continued to climb higher as we sat in silence. As I watched the lights below, I saw one of them begin move away from the others. It burned brighter than the other is a pale blue and drifted up away from them.

I squinted and rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things. The light continued to drift further above the others until it was completely separated from them in the dark night sky. 

As I stared closer, I saw that the light looked like what I would imagine a fairy did. Beautiful gossamer wings and delicate limbs twisting as they danced in the air. I wondered if it was part of a show, but realized quickly that there was nowhere to attach wires to cause this fairy to fly.

As I continued to stare, I saw the pale blue light start gather in the creatures hands. They blew onto it like a kiss and sent it gently toward the ground below. It drifted down and once it touched part of the the park below... it vanished. An entire chunk of the amusement park vanished in a second without warning.

My throat dried up and everything started to spin. Everything the light had touched was gone. It was like parts of the world just stopped existing.

I could barely see it as people below started to run. I felt sick as I realized we were almost to the top and there was nowhere for us to go up here.

I glanced at Nikki who was still staring at the bottom of the car. She was calm, so I couldn't imagine she'd seen anything yet.

I kept my attention on the fairy outside and felt my stomach drop as I saw them gathering light into their hands again while looking directly toward us.

"Hey, I actually have a question for you..."

The fairy outside brought her hand up to her mouth and blew the light in our direction.

"I was wondering if-"

Without a word I jumped across the car and threw myself over Nikki and clung onto her as hard as I could, praying that even with my limited strength I could create a miracle. I wanted to keep her safe, even just a little.

Searing pain spread over my back and my arms as a blinding light filled my eyes. I tighten my grip on Nikki and try to draw her in closer, trying to keep the light from touching her.

I swear Nikki was talking, but I couldn't hear her or understand her anymore. I think she was screaming, but all I could do was cling to her. Even releasing my grip was too painful anymore.

I felt sick. I wanted to vomit. Everything hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Supporting Character Diary was the original title of this work. I changed it to make it more obvious what the premise of the work was. It may be a little too on the nose now though. Lol


	4. Supporting Character Diary: Contract

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikki sits there and watches as the world around her is slowly blown away. She cannot imagine that she will make it out of this alive.  
> But maybe there is a small miracle that can help her find the strength to fight...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you LiteratureLapin who was the first person to leave me a Kudos. It means a lot to me, especially given that this is an original works and will probably not get many views.

"Hey... wake up." Nikki reached her hand out to try and touch the unconscious body in front of her, but pulled back seeing how much of their body was covered in their own blood. All she could see was red, all she could smell was iron, and all she could hear was screaming around her.

Her friend laid on the ground, spread out and mangled in such a way that they no longer look human. Limbs were twisted in the wrong direction and she could see exposed muscles and organs.

Nikki looked around at the carnage taking place. Or rather, the lack of carnage. Everything around her was just vanishing out of existence, so it looked nothing like how she imagined a disaster would. There was no rubble or smoke or fire, just... a lack of anything.

She sat by the body, unable to run due to the pain in her own body. She wasn't as badly hurt, since they had protected her from the brunt of the initial attack, but she had still taken some damage from when they fell out of the car. Even if she could move, she didn't want to. All she could think of was how this entire thing was her fault. She invited them to this amusement park, she begged them to go on the ferris wheel with them, she was the one that didn't notice the problem, and she was the one they had gotten hurt protecting. And it was all because...

She couldn't bring herself to think of it. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Instead, it was the day she had to watch her best friend die because they protected her. She closed her eyes and breathed uneasily as she tried to fight back her tears, wondering if her parents and little brother were okay. She prayed they had left already and weren't near any of this and apologized that she wouldn't be making it back to them.

She already knew she couldn't escape from this and accepted that it was only a matter of time until the pale blue light of destruction came for her.

Nikki looked around her, unable to keep starting at her friend's body. There were other bodies here and there, some alive some very much dead. Some people were like her; not as injured, but not moving from those around them. She just kept looking and staring and trying not to cry as she waited for her turn to die.

Then, just out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something small moving around very purposefully. She turned her full attention toward the movement only to see a creature, and it was a creature not a human or animal, moving through the empty spaces and across what could be called the ruins.

She tilted her head in confusion, staring at it as it looked around. She wasn't sure what to call it, but it kind of looked like a fox, except it was wrong in places. The head was fox-like, but the ears were much larger and more like a rabbit's or a cat's, they had antlers on their head, and their feet ended in hooves rather than paws. She wasn't sure what to call it, and she almost thought she was imagining it.

It was looking around very purposefully, prancing through the area as it turned its attention from one set of people to the next. No one else seemed to pay attention to it except for her.

As the creature turned its head to finally look toward Nikki, it started to slow its pace from a prance to a steady walk. It tilted its head and stared at her.

"Can you see me?" A voice rang in her head, and she noticed for the first time the thing had no mouth and its feet did not touch the ground.

She didn't answer but continued to stare.

"You can, can't you?" Their large eyes stared unblinking.

She could only nod.

"You are my champion?" She wasn't sure if that was a question or statement based on their tone of voice, "What is your wish?"

Nikki only continued to stare, "You have a wish. I heard it. Your wish will help stop this twisted desire. What is your wish?"

"...huh?" She finally spoke up.

"Your wish, I will grant it to stop this twisted desire from destroying everything." It turned its head so far to the side it reminded her of an owl, "You are already resonating. I just need to know the exact wish."

"I don't," she shook her head, "I don't understand." 

"My heroes defeat twisted desires and fix the mess they make." It looked at the thing still flying in the sky, "My champion undoes that."

Her eyes closed and she shook her head, "I don't get it. I just... I just want Avery back. I want to go back to before all of this. I want to be as strong as they are so I can fix it all."

"Is that your wish?" Their head snapped back into place.

"What?"

"The wording is different, but similar. That wish is doable." They moved a foot up and forward, making it look like they were walking on air.

A faint pink light began to form between the being's antlers, "Your wish is your resonance with the universe. It is your soul made manifest and given form. I shall be the conduit that emboldens that wish, and in exchange you shall defeat those that threaten the beautiful wishes of others. I am Angi, master of desires, and this is the contact you make with me."

The pink light swirled around itself and condensed until it created a solid mass in the form of a small, pastel pink stone. It reminded Nikki of rose quartz, but the color kept swirling inside of the stone.

The stone continued to float in-between the being's antlers as it bowed to present it to her, "This is your contract with me. Take it and your wish shall be granted."

Nikki couldn't understand why, but something inside of her was no longer afraid. As confused as she was, she felt no hesitation in trusting this creature. Even if she did... that didn't matter if she could somehow protect Avery.

They were brave and strong and noble. When she thought of a knight in shining armor, it was always them she saw. Her prince charming, her femme fatale, her rock, her soulmate... It had always been Avery.

She looked at their bloody mangled body, and winced before reaching out her hand to take the stone from Angi.

If she could undo all of this mess and go back to when they were happily laughing together, she would give anything. It didn't matter if her body fell apart, or even if she was making a deal with the devil. All she wanted was to go back and see Avery smile at her once more. This time, no matter what it took, she would be the one to protect them!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, a slightly new POV. Had to do something else since Avery is now out of it. I hope it isn't too confusing.  
> Also, just want to clear this up earlier rather than later: Avery (the main character) is non-binary, so the pronoun "they" is what I use for them.


	5. Supporting Character Diary: Knight in Shining Armor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every magical girl needs her origin story and transformation sequence! Unfortunately, I am not animating that.

Nikki grabbed the stone from Angi, which felt warm to the touch. Somehow, it almost reminded her of holding hands with someone. She was wondering why a stone felt so alive, until she heard something in her head. It wasn't a voice, but more like a feeling in the form of a memory that shot through her mind and body instantly.

She saw a different world, a different time and place. There were a few creatures that looked like Angi, each one galloping across the air and darting between people, conducting a similar ceremony to the one she has just completed.

Then the image shifted to focus on one particular creature. It was similar to Angi, but the antlers were a different shape. They were completing the ceremony with a different person, calling them "champion" and waiting bowed with a dark purple crystal. The person reached out and took the crystal, a sick smile across their face.

Again, the memory changed. This time, Nikki saw fire and ash in the air quickly burning away at the world until nothing was left but darkness. The creature that looked like Angi was sitting lovingly on the shoulder of their champion, as they watched the chaos and destruction like a sunset.

She felt sick and miserable, but it wasn't her own feeling; it was the feeling of the memories she was seeing. A series of thoughts came to her: stop this, save them, no more, betrayal. The thought echoed through her head over and over and over... until it stopped when she heard a faint voice with a beautiful wish. She couldn't hear it fully, but she knew what this was; it was this memory's own champion. This wish belonged to the person that would help her stop this travesty. The memory called back to them, calling them champion and making a deal with that wish. Their wish, her champion, that was the binding contract that. It wasn't finished, but it should be enough until they were found. It was enough to partially awaken the resonance within them and keep them safe until she could find them. The memory was pulled toward that feeling until she saw herself over Avery's body.

Then she came back to the present.

"Do you understand now?" Angi asked her, "Will you fight for me?"

Nikki's lip quivered as she looked between Angi and the monster destroying things, "Do you really think I can do it?"

He tilted his head again, "The resonance that led me here is more than capable of righting this distorted desire."

She clutched the faint pink stone in her fist and nodded slowly as she rose to her feet. She knew what to do already, as the memory had shown her the general idea. Resonance was the power given to a person by the universe, made manifest through their wish. Angi was the proxy for that power, giving it a way to flow back and forth in a way the average human couldn't manage. It was already awake inside of her, all she had to do was use it.

Avery was the strongest person in the world to her and all she wanted was to be like them. As she thought that, the stone burned in her hand as hot as fire, but without harming her. The heat was her and Angi's power passing through it as it created the energy to grant her wish. She closed her eyes and focused on the feeling, imagining how Avery had wrapped themselves around her and protected her from harm.

The light inside of stone flowed out and covered her skin from head to toe, wrapping her in its warmth. It pressed against her and solidified into the white gold armor that reminded her of a fairy tale knight. It wasn't heavy in any way, even though it looked the part. In fact, it felt like she was barely wearing anything.

"You are radiant, my hero." Angi sat on the ground behind her and looked up at the creature still in the sky, "You need to crush the twisted desire they are holding on to. It should be somewhere on them. You should have already seen what it looks like."

That purple crystal. That was all she could think of as the source of this madness. She looked up at the monster in the sky and wondered how to get up there. It wasn't near anything else and everything around it had already been erased. Even if she could get near it...

"How am I supposed to do this exactly?" She yelled to Angi. Having the power didn't mean she had a perfect idea on how to use it.

He tilted his head again, "You need to take the source of their power. How you do that is up to you."

"And how do I do that? My wish didn't include the ability to fly or anything."

He tilted his head the other way, "That is on you. You wanted to be strong, the exact meaning of what that strength entails is on you."

"Not helpful!" She shouted at him before finally looking back at the monster, only to see it staring straight at her.

"I am just a conduit. I cannot tell you how your power works. It is your wish and your rules." Angi sat up and trotted through the air up to Nikki, "Please find a way to subdue this threat, or I will have to find someone new to help."

Nikki groaned, "Fine." She swallowed a lump in her throat as blue light gathered in the monster's hands again. She grabbed Avery's limp body, finding it surprisingly light as. She smiled slightly as she held them like a princess seeing their chest heave uneasily as they breathed, then felt sick that she was feeling any kind of joy when they were so badly wounded. 

She dug the balls of her feet into the ground, preparing for a sudden sprint. As soon as the monster blew the light toward her, she started running in the opposite direction.

Angi followed quickly behind her with a quizzitive look on his face, "Why are you going this way? The threat is that way."

"Do I look like I want to die today by taking one of those things head on?" She was grateful the armor was so light at the moment, since carrying someone with prior practice or training was not easy.

Angi floated next to her and looked around in confusion, "You think you will die?"

"Obviously! That light is disintegrating everything it touches!"

"Doesn't that mean you will be fine?" 

She looked at him like he was crazy, before having to run again as another ball of light made its way over to them. Was it her or where they coming more often?

She had to stop soon, as she could only manage short sprints of energy in her current state. She was overflowing with power, but it was all new and put a huge demand on her body and made her feel more fatigued than anything. Add on to that carrying Avery's body and she was somehow using her energy faster than she was used to.

"Look around you. This threat is not all powerful. Every wish is only as powerful as one can imagine." Angi tapped against her chest plate, which let out a hollow ring each time, "Your wish is as strong as you imagine it too."

He walked across the air and went back to sitting down behind her, "Now, please fight. Everyone is watching how the hero will save the day. Their wishes are with you right now."

She froze for a moment when he said that and looked around. A few of the people that remained were looking at her, eyes completely red. She must have looked like a crazy woman to them. Her face felt hot as embarrassment overtook her.

"Don't you have any advice? I haven't fought before..." She couldn't win by running away. She would just have to try.

"I told you already. Wishes are limited and given shape by the one wishing. That is true for you and them."

She felt her patience wearing thin. This was like a fortune cookie or some strange riddle. She wasn't smart enough for that kind of thing. If only Avery were okay, she thought as she looked down at their face. They could tell her what the answer was. They were the smart one. It was just another one of their strengths.

As the thought passed through her mind, she finally understood. Her wish was to be as strong as Avery. Strength wasn't just something physical. In fact, to her, Avery's intelligence and unrelenting will were as much a strength as their muscle. All she needed was to focus her wish more clearly and desire that strength. At least, she hoped that was how it worked.

She focused closely on the idea of being as smart as Avery and soon she saw the world completely differently. It wasn't as if the world itself changed, but she was suddenly paying attention to the details more and understanding what the limitations were.

The places the blue light had touched were not as gone as she had previously thought. Yes, a lot of it had vanished from where it was, but not everything had. In fact, there were noticable parts of the ground left and they made a pattern. It looked like the ground had been carved into a projection of the skyline. It was like a...

Shadow!

Light had limitations, like casting shadows. It couldn't wrap around objects in its way. That was the trick. It destroyed everything it touched, but it couldn't touch anything with something in front of it.

She felt tears well up in her eyes. Had Avery realized the trick before she even knew there was a threat? Was that why they had thrown themselves over her and refused to let go.

"You dummy..." She said as she placed them down, knowing she couldn't bring them with her for the next part.

This armor was a manifestation of her wish. Avery had managed to keep her safe with only their body and now she had magical armor that covered every inch of her. She wondered how many hits it could take before she was in danger. Though, she was hoping she wouldn't need to find out.

"Do you understand now?" Angi chirped up.

"Yeah."

"In that case, please proceed."

"Got it!" Nikki dug in her heels and stared at the creature before taking off to confront it one-on-one.


	6. Supporting Character Diary: A Magical Girl is Born

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How does action work? I have no idea.

Nikki kept her sight on the monster while she ran, constantly moving back and forth as those pale blue lights were aimed at her. She had been right; they were coming more often. However, the less time between an attack, the smaller the light was and the easier it was to avoid. Unfortunately, being small also made it faster so she couldn't stop moving for fear one would reach her before she had time to pick up the pace after a rest.

The monster screamed in fury and started releasing light more and more frequently. It was so often as this point that the air was filled with dozens of tiny blue lights all aimlessly floating through the air around the monster and toward her.

Nikki ran for straight under the monster and prayed that her dumb brain had been smart enough to add a bit of creativity to her wish. Just as she was approaching, she bent her knees and tried to jump up.

It seemed her brain had been creative about the wish after all, as she broke all the laws of physics and launched herself so high into the air that she rivaled birds in flight. In fact, she realized she may have overshot her target by a bit as she went over the monster's head completely.

"I know you are new to this, but don't humans have an inherent sense of their bodies?" She could hear Angi in her mind despite being so far away from him.

She grumbled a little. Most humans didn't leap several stories into the sky, so she was going to give herself a pass on this one.

She twisted herself in the sky so her body was facing toward the monster again and launched herself back up once her feet touched the ground. This time, she didn't put as much force into it as she jumped back up.

She feared she would undershoot her target this time, but it was just enough to grab onto the monster's leg. It let out an ear piercing scream and started constantly tossing light as her. As it hit her armor it fizzled out, only making small holes in the metal, which revealed that there were multiple plates underneath. Each layer eaten away revealed one more. Even she had no idea how many layers there were or how thick each may be.

"Good job. Now, grab the source." Angi told her.

"Where is that exactly?" She screamed back at him, desperately holding on as the monster attempted to shake her off.

"Wherever the power is getting channeled through is where the source is."

"Please stop giving me riddles and just tell me!"

Angi was silent for a moment, "It is on them, but above you. I cannot narrow it down any more than that."

That was not helpful at all. 

Whatever. She was looking for a purple stone, right? She could find it if she just looked hard enough.

She reached up her other hand to grab the monster's other ankle. They continued to scream and shake, but she refused to let go. They trashed so violently that both of them were being tossed into the light, which burned away her armor, but also seemed to be eating away at the monster itself. It seemed that they were not immune to their own attacks. She could use that to her advantage.

She swung her legs, shifting her weight suddenly and causing both of them to jerk into more clusters of light. The monster stopped screaming and started making a noise that reminded her of crying. It seemed to stop trying to shake her off and started trying to avoid the light. It was keeping its body away from large clusters, but it was paying special attention to its hand.

That was it!

Nikki stared at its hand more closely, finally seeing the small purple stone buried in its flesh. That was the source she was looking for.

The monster raised the same hand and gathered more light in its palm. This wasn't a small amount either. It started out the size of a grape, then a baseball, then a beach ball, then a watermelon... Nikki wasn't coming back if that hit her. It was now or never. She needed to stop this thing before it could release that thing and eat straight through her armor.

Nikki tightened her grip and pulled herself up, which also caused the monster to be pulled down a bit. It was enough to swing her arm up and clasp the monster's hand in her own.

"Now, destroy it." Angi called and she was more than happy to oblige.

She squeezed down as hard as she could until she heard the sound of shattering glass. The creature stared at her, its eyes shifting from rage to confusion.

Its form and the area around it was consumed by smoke before she saw a small body fall out and plummet toward the earth below. Nikki was soon to follow suit, as she no longer had anything to hold onto to keep her in the air.

"This will suffice." Angi's voice rang in her head as her body hurried toward the ground, "Then it shall be my honor to grant the rest of your wish."

She closed her eyes, feeling exhaustion overtake her, and when she opened them she was in line for the ferris wheel again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and the previous were originally one chapter, but I turned it into two shorter ones so they were easier to take in one sitting.


	7. Supporting Character Diary: Deja Vu

Nikki had dragged me away from her family after dinner and insisted on us waiting in line for the ferris wheel. I admit that it was the largest ferris wheel I had ever seen in my life, but I wasn't really excited to ride it. The apparent ride time was nearly half an hour while the waiting line was almost fifteen minutes. That was a long time to stand and sit around without doing anything. But if it made her happy...

"We're next...?" Nikki was less excited than I expected. She almost seemed confused by our place in line.

"Yeah. Can't wait to finally sit down." I stared off slightly to the side, watching as the next car slowly came around, "I can't believe this is one of the shortest lines. These places are really popular, not that I didn't already know that."

"Yeah..." She looked around in a frenzy as the attendant went to open the door to the car and let out the previous riders. As a man and a woman stepped out holding hands, she grabbed mine, "Hey, do you want to go on a different ride instead?"

I looked at her in confusion, "I thought you wanted to go on this one. You were really pushy about it earlier." I couldn't help but laugh at her sudden mood change.

Her blonde hair was falling into her face as the attendant motioned us forward, "I changed my mind. You like the roller coasters right? We can go on one of those instead!"

"I mean, I do, but we've been waiting for this and I kind of got myself excited." I stepped forward and motioned her to follow, "I haven't been on one of these in a while, so it's kind of a treat."

A look of panic spread across her face. I wondered if she suddenly developed a fear of heights. She was so excited to go on this ride earlier, but now she looked like death.

I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, unsure what was wrong all of a sudden, "Hey, I don't know what's wrong, but if you feel nervous I promise that I'll keep you safe." I grinned at her and held out my hand.

Her face turned ghostly white he her body appeared to freeze for a moment, but she took my hand anyway and followed me into the car. Nikki took her seat in the car and I sat on the opposite side of her. The attendant closed the door behind us and gave a thumbs up to the ride operator as soon as we were both safely seated.

The ferris wheel started a bit abruptly, but its movement was so smooth you could barely tell the thing was moving.

The car was filled with silence for the first few seconds as we both stared out the windows at the world drifting away below. I watched her out of the corner of my eye, seeing her panic hadn't faded away yet.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, unable to ignorr the look of absolute horror painted across her face.

"I just... I changed my mind." She said as she continued to stare out the window.

"I'm sorry. For some reason, I thought you liked these kinds of things." I could have sworn she did for some reason. Wasn't it her that told me that? When had she told me that?

She didn't answer, only watching out the window as we crawled higher and higher. I joined her and watched silently as the world fell away beneath us.

I continued to watch the world outside fall further and further beneath us. The ground and skyline were illuminated with the vibrant colors of a million lights guiding the people below as we grew nearer to the top of the wheel. It was like a river of tiny, unmoving fireflies flying beneath us.

My stomach sank, suddenly feeling like it was full of rocks. I searched the lights, expect... something to happen. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but the thought of it filled me with dread. I turned my attention to Nikki, who was still looking outside. 

Before I could think better of it, I stood up and moved to her side of the car, taking a seat in front of the window as my movement shook it gently. She raised her head to look at me, her eyes red and looking like she was about to cry.

Something inside of me snapped and I wrapped my arms around her without a second thought, drawing her in closely and refusing to let her go. I couldn't explain it, but I felt the need to cover her and keep her safe from the outside world. There was nothing there, but my body was telling me to keep her there and keep holding on until I couldn't anymore.

"I'm sorry, Avery..." She muttered into my chest and tried to squirm her way out.

I tightened my grip. I knew I should have let her go if she wanted me to, "Please, just stay here for a moment," I begged, unable to do the thing I knew was logical.

She stopped trying to push me away and settled into my embrace and we waited. What we were waiting for, I didn't know, but it was something. Something inside of me kept waiting for a sudden surge of pain, but it never came. I kept waiting for some kind of living nightmare, but it didn't happen.

As we rounded the top of the wheel, I turned to look outside. The only thing I saw were the beautiful twinkling lights beneath us. There was nothing else there. I kept having to double-check to make sure I wasn't forgetting or missing something.

Nikki didn't move and allowed me to keep holding on to her, although I was starting to feel dumb for doing so. Only when we had fully moved past the very top of the wheel did I finally let go. As I pulled away, I noticed that her face was completely red and her eyes were puffy.

"I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say. The way she looked made me feel I had done something wrong.

"It's okay," was all she said in response.

As she pulled away, I noticed a ring on her finger. It wasn't unusual for her to wear jewelry, but I couldn't recall her wearing that earlier. In fact, I could have sworn this was the first time I'd ever seen the pastel pink stone that sat upon her ring finger. Trying to remember it just made my head hurt though so I let it so.

The two of us went back to sitting in silence for the remainder of ride. In was deafening, but I couldn't think of what to say. No matter what, the question I wanted to ask would make me sound crazy. I couldn't ask her something like that and have it sound natural, so we just sat in absolute silence instead. I kept looking out the window, but the scenery never changed in the way I expected, even though I didn't know what I expected.

In 15 more minutes, the car had finished the circle and the attendant opened the door to let us out. Nikki got out before I did and we both made our way out toward the rest of the park.

"Avery," she finally spoke up, "sorry, but I'm not feeling good. I think I'm going back to the room early."

"I'll go with y-"

"No offense," she cut me off, "but I want to be alone for a bit. You should enjoy the park some more. Go on all the rides I was too scared to for me. Okay?" She gives me a smile that is more forlorn than anything and begins walking back to the hotel.

I watch her walk away, a lump forming in my throat. I have to force myself not follow after and ask the question that is desperately rising up inside of me. It's eating away at me and I feel it will continue to do so until I can finally voice it. For now, the only thing I can do is think:

Wasn't I supposed to die up there?


	8. Supporting Character Diary: The Lie

The next day, Nikki was back to normal. Or, rather, she was pretending to be back to normal. In actuality, she was a complete mess. I was sure her parents noticed when we were gathered together for breakfast, but none of us were willing to say anything about it. She just looked so tired and exhausted. I swear during the morning, I caught her father glaring at me for a moment any time a look of fatigue crossed her face.

Throughout the meal, her little brother kept listing rides and games he wanted to try out, seeming to be the only one that didn't notice the dour mood of the table. His mother was the one to assure him they would try them all out, even though they had already been on a few of them several times already.

Every now and again, I would glance at Nikki's finger to stare at the ring that had apparated last night. She hadn't taken it off, but it also seemed no one else was having a reaction to it. That, or they hadn't noticed it like I had. For some reason though I couldn't help but continue to look at it.

"I'm going back to the room." Nikki finally spoke up, pushing her chair away from the table.

"Oh, I'll join y-"

"Don't worry about it. You're still eating right?" She gave me a smile, "Besides, I need to get prepped for the day and I take a lot longer than you." With that, she walked away from table to go back to the room.

"Avery," her father spoke up as soon as she was out of earshot, "did something happen yesterday?"

He was staring at me with a stern gaze I knew all too well. Whenever Nikki was upset, that was the look I would get. It was as if he expected every time she was upset to be my fault. Granted, this time may actually have been my fault. I felt guilty for dragging her on the ferris wheel after she didn't want to go on anymore and also for holding on to her...

He stared in judgemental silence. I could feel my face burning up, which stopped me from answering him.

"Oh leave then be," Nikki's mother came to my defense, "Whatever happened is between them and only them."

"It is not!" He raised his voice but did not yell since we were in public, "Our princess is upset and it clearly has something to do with last night. She was fine at dinner, then went out and came back alone and wouldn't talk to me. Clearly something happened!" Ever the over doting father.

She gave her husband a pointed look, "Whatever it was-"

"It wasn't anything." I interrupted before they could keep going, "We went on the ferris wheel and she just started acting... distant." I could have sworn there was more to it, but for some reason my memory was fuzzy. I could recall holding her and watching the outside lights. I remember we talked about a few different things, but I couldn't remember what.

"She really didn't say anything else?" His eyes roamed over me, like he was search for any sign to give away a potential lie.

"Nothing. We got on and rode and that was all." I hoped her wouldn't see through my little exclusion of a few details.

He seemed unconcerned about the few things I left out as he looked at his wife. She looked back to him and returned his concern. It was like they were having and entire conversation with just a single look. It was actually a little touching.

When they finally broke away from one another, Nikki's father addressed me again, "I understand. If you're sure nothing happened, can you see that she is okay? She would probably appriciate it more if you were the one that checked up on her, considering we're just-"

"Some old farts." Her mother smirked and their son stared at her as if she had just said the dirtiest word in the world. How innocent the young were.

Her husband returned the look, but all she could do was smile.

"In that case," I pushed my chair out from the table and stood up, pushing it back in, "I think I should go check on her sooner rather than later. Last time she was upset, she wore her black makeup and it ran down her face in the heat. We wouldn't want a repeat of that again."

They both looked at me with grimaces on their faces, obviously recalling the fit she had when it happened. She had cried for hours, which only made it worse, and made her cry even more. She was so upset that she refused to let anyone see her all day. Granted, it was obviously some cheap makeup, but it had really mattered to Nikki that her creative vision be seen as she intended it. To her, her face was a canvas to express her mood.

That wasn't what was important right now though. What was important was that something was going on with Nikki and I needed to know what.

I excused myself to go back up to our shared room. I rummaged around my pajama pockets and dug out the room key to unlock the door. As I approached, I began to hear low talking from the room. It was Nikki, holding a one-sided conversation with herself.

I stopped, wondering if she was in contact with someone else. It was possible she had called someone, but it would be the first time she had done so on this trip. Most of the time, she was either with me or her family, so she didn't have a lot of time to contact other people.

I opened the door as quietly as I could so as not to interrupt her, but also because I was curious and wanted to spy on her. She wasn't in the front lobby area, but I could still hear her from the bedroom. As soon as I started walking that way, her voice died down. 

As I passed through the open doorway, I found her sitting straight up on her bed looking in my direction. I wondered if I had interrupted her or caught her off guard, since she looked so awkward.

"Did I come at a bad time?" I asked her, trying to make sure I hadn't barged in on something private.

"Not at all!" Her tone was the same one she always puts on when she's lying. Nikki is a terrible liar, especially when she doesn't have time to prepare a plausible story.

There was a faint hum in the background, but I couldn't quite figure out where it was coming from.

I raised an eyebrow at her, letting her know I didn't believe her, "Okay then. Mind if I use the shower first or do you need it?"

"Go right ahead." She said, even though she was clearly still in the same clothing she wore during breakfast. It was obvious she hadn't changed or gotten ready for the day like she had claimed. I trusted her, but she was acting weird.

With her blessing though, I claimed the shower. It was bone dry when I went into the bathroom, further proving she hadn't cleaned up like she said she would. It was a strange lie to tell and the only reason I could think of is that she was trying to avoid me...

I really must have messed up yesterday...

I turned on the shower and set the water so hot it was scalding my skin. I debated if I needed to shave and decided to do it if only so Nikki could have some more time separate from me. In fact, I took my time doing a lot of things so that she could have some more time alone. By the end of my shower, I felt dizzy from being in the heat for so long.

I turned off the water and stepped out to apply lotion so the hot water wouldn't completely dry out my skin. As I rubbed it in, I could hear Nikki talking again from the bedroom on the other side of the door. This time, despite knowing better, I tried to focus and hear what she was saying.

"-ear anywhere?" That was Nikki's voice.

Then, there was a faint humming. Something about it seemed familiar, but I couldn't place from where. Maybe in a dream?

"How am I supposed to do anything when they could be literally anywhere? I can't be everywhere at once."

Another hum.

"Can you teleport me across the country if they show up?"

More humming.

"No, I don't regret it and I won't go back on our contract, but..." her voice sounded so distressed, "I don't understand what I am supposed to do once we leave. I can't fight every issue if I can't reach them. And if I can't do that..." her voice started cracking like she was going to cry soon, "I don't want to watch people suffer and die like that again. I want to keep them safe."

Her distress was my breaking point. I wrapped my towel around myself and slammed the door open to figure out who exactly was making her cry. As the door burst open, she looked at me in shock. Her eyes were slightly watery, but there were no tears. There was no phone in her hand and no one sitting next to her. There was absolutely no one she could have been speaking to.

"You're done already?" She asked, pretending she hadn't just been talking to herself.

I stared at her in silence, wondering what she was hiding but unable to find the words to ask, "Yeah, you can go ahead and use it now. Then we can go have some fun?" I asked rather than stated, trying to see if everything was alright between us.

She smiled, slightly sadly, and nodded, "I'd like that. It's your turn to pick what we do, right?"

"Actually, I was thinking that you could chose today?"

She gave a small hum and shrugged, "I picked yesterday, didn't I? It's your turn. So think on it while I'm getting ready."

She stood up from her bed and walked past me to get to the bathroom.

"Yeesh, so much steam. Were you trying to cook yourself or something?"

"Hot water helps me meditate." Though I usually don't make it that hot.

"Whatever. I just care that you didn't burn yourself." She said, "I'm going to leave the door open a little to help the bathroom air out."

I nodded as she went into the bathroom, leaving the door only slightly ajar.

I went over to my bed and pulled out my suitcase from underneath so I could get dressed. I opted to wear something basic for the day (shirts and a t-shirt), since it was supposed to be on the warm side.

After I was all dressed, I sat on my own bed and sighed. It was obvious something was bothering Nikki, but she wasn't telling me and that stung a little. I had always thought she trusted me above everyone else, but it was clear she was hiding whatever was happening even from me.

I slumped over on my bed and stared straight at the ground. How was I supposed to broach the topic with her? How do you ask if you did something wrong without making it seem like you are completely ignorant? All I wanted was to be there for her, but it felt like she wasn't letting me. The thought made my chest feel like it was being held in a vice, and my face felt like it was burning up. Was this Nikki's way of telling me that I had completely ruined what we had?

All I could do was sit in silence, until I felt something soft brush against my arm. I looked over to my side, wondering if I had touched the pillow, only to see what looked like a stuffed animal. I stared at it, confused where it came from. It wasn't mine and I didn't recall Nikki having it before, though it did seem like the sort of thing she would like. It was possible she had won it when we were separated, given we hadn't spent every second together.

I scooped up the stuffed animal and smirked at it. It looked like some type of chimera that someone has slapped random parts onto, "How weird looking."

I soon discovered it was not a toy, as it wiggled in my grasp.

I let out a scream and tossed the thing away from me. It never hit the ground, instead floating in the spot where I threw it and twisting its head so far to the side that it looked like it should have broken its neck.

I heard that humming again as the creature looked at me, its large eyes burrowing right through me.

The bathroom door flung itself open, where a mostly naked Nikki was standing. I looked away quickly so she could keep her shame.

"Avery, what's wrong?" She raised her voice.

I pointed in the direction of the creature that was still floating in the air, "Can't you see it?"

There was a strange silence in the air. The silence felt like it lasted hours while I waited for some kind of reaction.

"No way..." Nikki finally spoke up.

"You see it right? I'm not crazy!" If she saw it, that meant it was actually there. Right?

"Angi, I thought you said no one else could see you?"

Then there was more humming.


	9. Supporting Character Diary: The Full Story

After that, Nikki had to come clean to me about what had happened. She told me about the fairy, the ferris wheel, the alternate history, Angi, the ring that symbolized her contract with him, her strange new abilities, and even about what had happened to me. She also had put on a towel so we could talk without either of us feeling awkward.

"So I died?" I asked, unsure how to process the information.

"I'm not really sure, honestly. You were breathing but I could see bits of you I know I shouldn't be able to."

The creature, Angi, began to hum again.

"Oh, apparently you didn't die but you were dying." She stressed the 'ing'.

I sighed, "Is there a way for that thing to speak in the same language as us or can it only hum?"

She looked to Angi, who returned the gesture, "Well, I can understand him just fine. I don't know why you can't."

More humming.

"That's mean, Angi. Avery is my friend, so be nice." She crossed her arms, "If you won't be mature enough to speak to them, then I will play translator."

The thing looked at her and hopped up and onto her shoulder and proceeded to keep speaking.

  
"You shouldn't even be able to see him." She was speaking over the humming, likely translating as she claimed, "Apparently his species exists transcendentally and only people he makes contracts with should be able to see him fully."

"That doesn't explain the language thing!" I shouted, near demanding an answer.

"Oh, he's being petty and refusing to speak to you because this situation is supposed to be impossible. I guess he can talk to anyone directly if he wants, but he doesn't trust someone that can see him without a contact. The fact that you can tell he's supposed to be talking is also weird." She tried to look upset, but Angi rubbed against her cheek and broke through her very weak defenses, "Any idea what could be going on, Angi?"

The creature was completely silent on that one.

"Cool! The weird otherworldly creature doesn't know what's going on either!"

Angi looked at Nikki and hummed.

She gave him a small but awkward smile, "It means they are excited, sort of."

"Can I please be included in the conversation? I apparently died in an alternate timeline and I think that entitles me to some part of this."

"I don't disagree, it's just hard to explain."

"Try." I tell her.

She goes silent for a bit before continuing, "So, my new abilities are based on how I interpret my contract with Angi. They have to do with wishes and things, I guess."

I take a deep breath to calm myself down, "What was your exact wish?"

Angi hummed again, but Nikki didn't translate. In fact, it seemed like she was ignoring that he had just spoken.

"Nikki?"

She paused again as if thinking, "I asked to be able to go back in time so I could undo you getting hurt." As she finished, there was more humming.

I raised an eyebrow, "Is that all?"

She looked at the floor, a sure sign she was about to lie to me and couldn't look me in the eyes, "Yeah, but Angi also gave me the power to defeat these weird creatures and I have to do that before the reset."

I was too tired to try and pull the full truth out of her and decided to go off of what she told me, "Maybe, and this is just a theory, but maybe because the terms of your contract involved me directly in the wording I get some fringe benefits like seeing Angi and remembering snippets of the alternate timeline?"

It was a crazy theory, but it was the only thing I could think of to explain our current situation. Although, I supposed nothing about this situation would necessarily dictate it would follow basic logic.

"It is possible!" A third, high-pitched voice entered the conversation.

"What was that?" I returned to shouting.

"That was me! I am Angi!"

I stared at the creature that was sitting with Nikki. She was just looking at him with a smile.

"You're finally talking to them!" She seemed enthusiastic about the fact, even though I was still in shock.

"If it is a consequence of my hero's wish, then I have no reason to be concerned!" I was trying to figure out why he felt the need to shout everything directly into my brain.

"Yeah, sure..."

I couldn't help but be disgusted. Nikki and Angi seemed so happy about the entire thing, and all I could feel was bile in my throat. Nikki was essentially a soldier, even if Angi tried to make it sound like she was a some special hero. She may have powers, but she was barely an adult suddenly sent off to fight an enemy they didn't understand. I couldn't help but be filled with hatred at the entire situation. What part of this was fair? What about this was good?

I gritted my teeth and tried not to let all my negative feelings out. As disturbed and bothered as I was, I wasn't the only one that this effected. In fact, Nikki was going through more than I was. She was the one that from now on would have to fight every adversary that came her way. She would have to put her life on hold to save everyone. If she wasn't upset, I shouldn't be either.

So, instead, I just kept my mouth shut and smiled at both of them, "Whatever happens, I will be the first one to support you, Nikki."

She and Angi looked at me. Her eyes softened and her voice was gentle, "Thank you, Avery."

I nodded, and looked at the ring on her finger. It was a gorgeous pastel pink that would make any jewelry lover envious, but I hated seeing it. Something inside of me felt like I was going to snap at any moment seeing it, but I held off that feeling for her sake.

I held it off for eight months, through several other battles and monsters, across a few time resets and a few battles without them. We got through the end of highschool, our summer, and the beginning of college together. She and I got used to having Angi being part of our group, since only us three understood what was happening because of Angi's ability to keep people from remembering what was really going on. We always made plans knowing there is a chance they would be interrupted at any moment so she could save the day.

We adapted to our new normal in time, living life normally as much as we could. Incidents happened only once a month or so, maybe twice if we were unlucky, so living a normal life was easy.

Despite that, the negative feeling kept eating away at me. No matter how much I pushed it down, it kept forcing itself back up. It was a terrible feeling that made my gut twist, my heart pound, and my head ache. The only thing I could do was keep it locked deep inside, because, at the end of it all, I really only wanted one thing: to see Nikki save the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last flashback chapter. We return to present day next chapter!


	10. How did She Make it to College?

I read Nikki's assignment, unsure how to broach the topic of just how bad it really was. I know she wasn't in the advanced classes like me when we were is highschool, but she wasn't in the remedial ones either. She should have been getting an average education, which should have covered how to compose an informational essay. Instead, of something workable, she handed me a series of bullet points barely linked together by random streams of consciousness. Of course, that was one way to write an essay, but this was not the class for it and this paper proved she didn't have the skill to pull of something that complicated.

I glanced between her eating a gyro and the paper she had written. I know I should just rip off the band-aid and tell her it is terrible, but I don't want to completely dishearten her.

I dig deep down and clear my throat, "Your paper is... interesting."

"You can say it's terrible." She replied, swiping at the sauce dripping out of her gyro and plopping it into her mouth.

"It's not terrible. You have a working idea, at least. The main points are good." I tell her, trying to point out the one thing she did well.

"I found those on an online study guide."

"Nikki," I groan, "that's plagiarism."

"I didn't take their arguments or anything. I just used their points to help me with my outline."

"It's plagiarism to use any ideas that are not your own without proper citation." Which was something else she was missing.

"But I didn't take any of their arguments, just the general flow of the essay."

"That counts."

"She is trying her best!" Angi's voice rang inside my head.

"We are not discussing effort right now." I had to rub my temples at both of them, "Trying your best may work when you are saving the world, but this is academics. If you want to get anywhere, you have to actually have results."

"Can I just change into Tranquitty and use my powers to finish it?"

"No!" Angi piped in, "Transforming has inherent complications that are not worth risking without a good reason!"

Nikki groaned, "I hate the rules."

"Reading through your essay, I can see that." It was a low blow, but she needed to understand just how bad her current situation was, "When is this due again?"

"Next Tuesday?" I didn't feel like wondering why that was a question.

"So, you have a week to rewrite this entire thing?"

"I guess so."

I couldn't fathom how she had gotten into college. What did she do for her entrance essay?

I folded my hands in front of my face, feeling my appetite completely leave me, "Angi, let her use her powers. She needs them." There was no other way for her to finish this on time. At least with her powers her intelligence and perception would increase significantly. She would need that boost if she was going to finish this on time and with high marks.

"No!" Angi stated more firmly this time, "Unless there is a Twisted," he used our internal term for the monsters, "around, then there is no reason to resonate! Using it needlessly may provoke the enemy!"

"And somehow defeating Twisted doesn't do that already?"

"I'm sure it does, but they have been consistent with their pattern! We don't want to disrupt it since we have it down to a science!"

I had to admit, he had a good point. Though Nikki has fought the enemy plenty of times, we knew little about them. All we really knew was they were somehow distorting people's wishes to make the Twisted and that they only made one attack a month. Why they kept the area of attack localized to nearby, especially after the first attack was in a different part of the country, we didn't know.

"But Angi, I can't fail this class "

"If you can't fail, you will not need to use your resonance! The inability to fail means success is guaranteed!"

"She meant she can't afford to fail." I wrapped my lips around the straw in my soda and took a sip.

"Oh!" His strange understanding of our language meant we needed to word ourselves carefully sometimes, "Then I shall assist!"

Nikki's eyes lit up, but I had to bring up a point I was sure she forgot about, "Do you know anything about art history?"

"If you mean those pictures in Nikki's books, then yes! They are full of the remnants of wishes and strong emotions!"

"That sound more like art appreciation than history, but it's better than nothing."

She reached into her bag in a way that made it look like she was trying to pet his head, "You're the best, Angi! What would I ever do without you?"

Study?

I didn't say that out loud, but I definitely thought it. Nikki had some really bad habits that she needed to work on and Angi was not helping her with them. If anything, his insistence on constantly praising her made them worse. According to him, that was because positive emotions empowered her further, so he was trying to keep her spirits high.

I stirred my soda with the straw and stared at the two of them. They had become so close in the last eight months. I guess depending on one another to save the world would do that, but something about it bothered me.

That negative feeling bubbled up inside of me as I looked at them, but I pushed it back down as far as I could. They had a relationship I couldn't understand and that was fine. I only understood what was happening because Nikki's wish allowed me some glimpse into their affairs, so it was normal to feel left out. That didn't mean it didn't hurt any less.

"Hey, Avery?" 

I left my own thoughts alone and looked at Nikki, "Yes?"

"I was wondering if you would want to go out with me on Saturday?"

I raised an eyebrow at her, "That depends. Where would we be going?" 

"I was thinking about going to the zoo. It's the last weekend they'll have the butterfly exhibit open for the year. It's getting too cold for them."

I weighed my options. Saturday was a good day for homework and studying, but it was a rare opportunity. Then again, I knew I couldn't afford to pay the entrance fee even if I did want to go. Even so, Nikki was asking to spend time as friends, which is something we hadn't gotten to do for some time because of class, my job, and her side gig.

No. No matter how I tried to justify it, I just couldn't go, "I don't think I can afford it. I have a few bills so pay." Like my car, and helping Mom with the rent and utilities.

"I can pay for you!" She added in as quickly as she could.

"No." I stopped her just as quickly.

"But if I'm inviting you I should pay for you."

"Please don't." It always made me feel bad when she tried to use money to help me. I know it makes sense to her, but it just feels wrong to me.

"Why would you not accept Nikki's kindness!" Angi sounded confused.

I was going to ignore that question, lest I have to come clean about my own insecurities.

I stood up, grabbing mine and Nikki's trash to throw it away, "Thanks for lunch. It was pretty good." Not my thing, but good.

"Is it time already?" The hurt and pain in her voice was obvious and it was painful.

"Yeah." She was referring to my job. Two classes, then six hours of work; that was my Tuesday, "Don't forget to go to your next class. Who is going to pick you up today?"

"Probably my dad." She stood up, grabbing her things, "And I can take care of my own schedule."

"You forgot to go to class altogether when I was sick." I remind her bluntly.

She goes silent, presumably because she doesn't have any counter.

I sigh, "I'll call you after work, okay? Then you can tell me how everything went."

Her face shifts from annoyance to joy almost instantly, "Okay."

Now in agreement, the two of us finish cleaning up our table and grab our stuff to move on to our next obligation. She has a class about the fundamentals of drawing and I have to put in my time in the worst position possible: customer service.


	11. It's Not Saving the World, but it Pays the Bills

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Please note that this chapter does have a character call Avery by their dead name and uses the incorrect pronoun in a malicious manor. Avery is non-binary, but I am aware than there are jerks in this world that do not respect that and may even use it as a way to attack others. Please be cautious if this is something that bothers you.

"Are we ready to order or do we need more time?"

The small family sitting in my booth hums and darts quick glances over the menu. The man motions towards the woman and she looks at me.

"Can I please get the southern chicken sandwich with onion rings instead of fries and he'll," she points to the older son, "have the kid sized macaroni. He'll," she points to the younger son, "have the clown cakes." She hands their menus over to me and I store them under my arm so I can finish taking their order.

"Excellent choices all around." I turn to the father, "And for you?"

"Blazin' buffalo burger. Medium rare." He closes his menu and passes it to me as well, "And an order of mozzarella sticks for the table."

"Another good choice," I look at the younger son who is sitting awkwardly in the booth, just staring at me, "but I do think the clown cakes are the best thing at the table."

His little face beams with the kind of pride only the really young have at being told he made not only a good choice, but the best choice.

I finish writing down their order and repeat it back to them, making sure they are okay with everything that comes with their order. The father specifies no pickles, which the burger doesn't even come with but I don't say that because I am hoping for a decent tip. Once they confirm everything, I go to put their order into the system and attend my other tables.

A few ask for drink refills, some want dessert, some just want to pay their bill. All in all, it is a busy night but none of my tables are being difficult. On the other hand, one of my coworkers is dealing with a couple on a date that clearly think they are entitled to five star service at a three star restaurant. Not to insult my employer, she's a sweet old lady, but it's just local grub. In fact, it's only in the last year due to her grandson's intervention that the menu started being more marketable to people who weren't used to the place.

I go in the back to pick up a finished dish, finding the coworker who had been dealing with the troublesome table. She is sitting down, her head in her hands and shaking.

"Are you okay?" I ask her.

She nods but does not look at me, "Trying to pull myself together before I go out there and do something that will get me fired."

I pause before making an offer, "Do you want me to take over for you?"

She shakes her head, "Thanks, but I can do it." She breaths a heavy sigh, "I wish the boss was here. She wouldn't put up with this."

Yeah. She was a sweet old lady, but she had fire in her veins. She had zero tolerance for idiots that thought they owned the world and everyone in it. However, she wasn't in tonight. Instead it was her grandson, who was learning to take over for her once she retired. He was a good business man, but he was a lousy boss. He didn't care what abuse the staff took as long as the customer paid their bill and let a good review.

"If you change your mind, just let me know." I tell her, "I almost hope they ask for your supervisor. I want to yell at them." Something I wasn't allowed to do unless very special circumstances were met.

"I hope not." She rolls her eyes and laughs dryly.

I give her a sympathetic look and take the dish I came back for. After I drop it off at the table with the family, I go to the terminal so I can give that difficult table a little surprise. I add a gratuity to their bill, knowing they are the type of people that don't tip their server. I also await the moment when they will try to get a discount. I have zero intention of giving them anything after the way they created my coworker. Having done that, I go back to the rest of my work. I cash out a few tables and go to tidy them up so the buser has an easier job.

It only takes a little over ten more minutes for that table to start acting up again. I see it in the corner of my eye. They are berating their server, complaining about their total. Before she can start taking the fall for it, I walk over to the table.

"Hello, I am the supervisor tonight." I interrupt them in the middle of their tirade, "Is there an issue here?"

They both look at me, and the man speaks up, "Yeah! Our check isn't right! You overcharged us."

"May I see it?" I hold out my hand.

They give me the check and I read it back to them, confirming every item on it. I also check with the server to make sure it sounds right to her. Once every item as been read off, I try to hand them the check back.

"It seems to be accurate."

"Look at the bottom!" The woman chimes in, "

I do as she says and look at the bottom where the gratuity has been added on, "Oh this? That's your asshole tax. Any other concerns?"

The look on their faces is priceless. It reminds me of a fish gasping for air. That face soon changes to one of obvious anger.

"Where is your manager? I want to talk to them!" The man demands.

I turn to my coworker and smile, "He's in the office. Can you go get him?"

She nodded slowly and left. I stayed with the irate customers while they complained to one another about my attitude and made occasional jabs at me, declaring I wasn't cut out for customer service. They weren't wrong, but it paid the bills, so whatever.

It took about three minutes for my manager, Mr. Robertson, to come out from his office. He was already looking annoyed. Always a fun sign.

He approached the couple, "What is the issue here?"

"Your staff is incompetent and rude. They tried to overcharge us and insulted us." The woman was the one to speak this time. Her voice was pleasantly shrill in the same way a screeching monkey's is.

"May I know the specifics?" And there went his flimsy spine. He was going to try and kiss their asses.

They handed him the check, pointing out the gratuity and telling him what I had said. I didn't deny my comments, it was true that I had said that after all. While they were talking, I reached into my service apron and started looking through my contacts to dial the number I knew we would be needing soon.

"I'm so sorry that your experience was ruined. Please allow me to ta-"

"Hello? Avery? What do you need, Dearie?"

The voice rang out as I put it on speakerphone. Mr. Robertson turned his attention to me, his face in shock.

"Hi Hilda!" I sing out, "I just wanted to make sure you know what is going on. Your grandson is taking care of some angry customers right now and I figured you'd want to hear the full story so you understand if you see a bad review or get an angry email later."

"Oh dear. What is happening?"

The customers repeated the complaints to my phone. After they were done, I told her they were rude to their server the entire time and I charged them for all the hardship they had given her, otherwise they contested nothing on the bill.

There was silence for a moment while we waited for her to respond, "Tell them to pay their bill and get out. I can't believe you had to call me to tell me that. Did their mothers teach them nothing? We have a sign at the front that tells customers we charge an asshole tax. Are they illiterate? They read their check just fine, so I doubt it. Call security if they refuse again." Her harsh voice turned back to sweet, "I'm going back to my shows now. Tell Marie she can take the rest of the night off if she wants. She's still in high school and needs to relax."

"Thanks Hilda." After that, we both hung up our ends.

I looked at Mr. Robertson, challenging him to contradict his grandma like I knew he wanted to, like I knew he was going to if I hadn't called her.

Instead, he cleared his throat, "As I was saying I am sorry your experience was ruined, but you still have to pay the bill." He said, clearly trying to switch gears to be on the same side as his grandmother.

"This is outrageous!" They both protested, but as soon as I started ringing up security, they conceded and paid their bill. As they left, the screamed about never coming back and telling everyone about the terrible customer service they received.

As soon as they were out the door, Mr. Robertson looked at me with rage in his eyes, "My office."

I looked at my coworker, Marie, and shrugged, "You heard Hilda. Rest of the night is yours if you want it."

She shook her head, "Need the money."

"I feel that in my soul." I groaned at her before following Mr. Robertson to his office.

I left the door ajar so that everyone knew he wasn't murdering me or something. He motioned for me to sit, which I declined because I knew it would leave me in a lower position that him. A power play at work and he knew that I knew that was what he was trying to do.

Instead, he got straight to the issue, "Ms. Celi-"

"Avery." I corrected him. It wasn't a hard name to remember. His grandma has used it not five minutes ago.

"Ms. Ave-"

"Just Avery." Now he was doing it on purpose and he knew it. My name tag said Avery, my coworkers and his grandma called me Avery. He was just being difficult because he knew I hated it.

"Avery," he paused, making sure I wasn't going to correct him again. When I didn't, he continued, "do you enjoy creating a scene in the dining room?"

I shrugged, "Nah, but I'll do it if I have to."

The look of contempt on his face was overwhelming, "I have been asking myself for a while now if you are really cut out for this line of work, Ms- Avery." He corrected himself quickly, but it was clear he was doing it on purpose, "You are not a team player and are rude to customers, something inexcusable in this industry."

"Oh, I am nothing but a team player. Did you see how I dealt with those customers that were bullying Marie? Or did your spirit leave your body for that entire encounter?"

His glare sharpened, "I think I have reached the conclusion that you are not fit for this establishment."

I stared at him and reached into my pocket for my phone again. I pulled up my contacts and started scrolling down again, "I wonder if Hilda agrees. She is the one that made me a supervisor."

He bit his lip, obviously not wanting me to call his grandmother. He knew that she would side with me, given that she had just backed me up, and she was higher in the food chain than him.

He cleared his throat, "That is not to say you cannot learn better."

I put away the phone cautiously and crossed my arms, "I'll remember that next time you refuse to stand up for your staff and we have a mass exodus like we did three months ago. Now," I turned away from him and went for the door, "I will be returning to my tables. This meeting should have waited until after hours if you are concerned about customer satisfaction and you should have called me away from the others, not in front of them."

I could feel his anger as I left to return to my tables. There were a few with awkward looks. I offered them a discount for witnessing such a display, not everyone accepted. A few even left generous tips.

Eventually, I had to cash out the family. I offered them the same discount, once again, they declined. In fact, they left an almost fifty percent tip and asked me to give half of it to the other waitress, something I was more than happy to do.

"I remember having to deal with people like that. I wish I could have told them off like that." The mother said while she helped her younger son get his coat on, "Or at least had a boss that would stand up for us when they were acting like that."

Her husband seemed to nod in agreement, "I really shouldn't have been allowed to hit on you like that back then. I would be mortified if I had a daughter that had to put up with someone like me."

"At least you were cute when you were flirting." She smiled at him and picked up the youngest son, "Have a good night." She said to me and they left.


	12. Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There is another use of dead name in this chapter. It is not done maliciously, but it does happen.

After my shift was done, I could feel my body ready to give up. I was mentally and physically exhausted from everything, but made sure to pass off my tables to the person taking over for me. I made sure I still had all my tips, minus the one left for Marie, and clocked out. Mr. Robertson saw to it that he gave me a knowing glare as I left. I gave a smile and a wave, just to be cordial. The way his hatred simmered gave me life and was probably the best part of my day. How he was related to the sweet little firecracker that was Hilda, I would never understand.

I climb into my car and start up the engine, which comes to life with a low groan after the fourth turn of the key. I match the noise it makes, hoping I don't have to bring it in to get repaired again. It would probably be cheaper in the long run to replace it outright, but I don't have enough to buy the latest model. I could shop around for another used car that is younger than my current one, but she's special and replacing her feels like betrayal somehow. Plus, I don't even have the money to replace or repair her right now. She'll just have to hold out for a few more paychecks.

Before I get out, I slip a CD into my car's player and skip ahead to song three. I grip onto the wheel and slowly push on the gas, deciding I've had enough of work for tonight.

The lights guide my way home, illuminating the streets as I nod my head along to the fast paced music. While I'm driving I wonder if I should stop to get Mom something sweet, since I've seen her putting sugar on literally everything she can. I figure a small part of my nightly tips can cover one chocolate bar, maybe I'll even get myself one of those mass produced back goodies. Actually, probably better to just get Mom two chocolate bars and hide the second so she doesn't eat them both on the same night.

Before I get home, I stop for the confections at the nearby gas station, sliding my money to the worker behind the metal bars and glass casing. They slide my change to me through the small opening at the bottom of the window, and I take it along with my items and make the last bit of the drive home. It's barely even another five minutes before I get there.

I turn off the engine and grab my things, heading up to our unit. Mom is sitting on the couch, watching the the nightly news when I open the door. She looks over to me, her eyes glancing at the bad in my hands, "Did you get something?"

I reach into the bag as I walk in, allowing the door to close behind me. I pull out the chocolate bar and show it off, "Noticed you had a sweet tooth." I lock the door with the hand holding the bag.

"Oh honey," she mutes the TV, "you didn't have to do that."

"I figured you were in need." I walked up to her, handing her the chocolate.

She took it and put it on the couch arm next to her, "Come sit with me for a bit." She pats the seat next to her.

"I haven't eaten dinner yet and I have some stuff to write up and study for."

She gives me the look only mothers can, which tells me that was not a request.

I sigh internally and take my spot on the couch.

With the television still muted, Mom turns to me, "How was your day?

"Fine."

"Anything happen?"

I shrug. I don't know how to answer her question. She shouldn't remember the Twisted from earlier, and the rest of the day was pretty normal.

She stares at me, seeming to looked for something. I don't know if she finds what she wants, but she turns away and unmutes the TV, "Dinner is in the fridge."

I sit for another minute, wondering if I should ask how her day went too. I decide against it, figuring she'd tell me if something exciting happened.

"I'm going to need to use the computer tonight. I'll probably start in an hour or two. Gonna chill out for a bit first."

She doesn't react as I get up and head into the kitchen to reheat dinner, which turned out to be a casserole. I grab the container and a fork once the microwave goes off and head to my room, setting it on my bed so I could finish putting away my tips and other things. The jar I keep my money in is getting full, which means it's time to go to the bank and deposit it.

I shed my shirt like a snake skin and throw it into the basket in the corner of my room along with my pants and undergarments. I grab the long shirt sitting at the foot of my bed and put it on, finally signalling to my brain that it is time to relax.

I scoop the casserole into my mouth in just such a way that makes me look like I wasn't taught any table manners and I enjoy every moment of it. It's really hot after the microwave, but I am too hungry to care and I just want to eat the entire thing; which I do gleefully. I was grateful to Nikki buying Lunch earlier, but this was so much better than that.

As soon as I thought of Nikki I remembered the promise I had made her. I looked at my phone for the first time since getting off of work, only to notice I had several text messages. One was from Mom, telling me to have a good day at work, and the other three were from Nikki. They were all lamenting her struggles with writing, but the last one practically begged for me to call and give her something to do besides read articles about the symbolism in paintings.

I did promise that I would call her after work, but I still had to ask one thing to make sure she had actually been doing her work and taking it seriously.

I sent her a message that read 'How many pages have you written?'

Almost instantly I got an answer, '2'

I wondered if that was double or single space, but I figured it was more than usual for her in one night so I would take pity on her.

I pressed on her contact and listened as my phone began to ring.

I only heard it twice before she picked up with her usual cheery voice, "My savior. You've rescued me from the nightmare that is writing."

"You know my major is writing, right?" I deadpan.

"Well mine isn't. I thought I'd be making art, not writing about it."

"This is art history, not actual art. You make stuff in a different class. Didn't you read the class guide?"

There was silence on her end before she spoke again, "I picked the class that had art in the title."

I was glad this was a phone call and she couldn't see my face right now, because I was sure it was near murderous. I loved Nikki, but sometimes she was the dumbest person I knew. I would worry for her future if she didn't already have everything she would ever need already taken care of.

"You should really read the class guide next time." I said, after regaining my composure, "At least you're getting two of your required ones out of the way. Although, two history classes is kind of rough. At least one of them doesn't have homework." Which is why I took it. I was more than happy to take a class that only had three exams to make up our entire grade, especially since it was just a repeat of a highschool class.

"It's just as bad. I hate tests."

"I have some bad news about college then and you are not going to like it."

"Stop teasing me."

I chuckled, "Fine, but next semester you may want to take intro to drawing. It's a prerequisite for almost all the other art classes."

"Yeah, yeah." I heard her say something off to the side and assumed she was talking to Angi, "Hey, did you hear that they just caught that one CEO embezzling, like, nearly two million dollars?" Nikki wasn't really into news, but she liked gossip. I suppose to her and her social circle, stuff like that was more on the gossip side of things.

"I haven't had time to look into today's news." I tell her, wondering if that was one of the stories Mom was watching when I came home.

"I think my mom is on his legal team." There it was.

"Are you even allowed to talk about that kind of stuff?"

"Being on his legal team isn't a secret. Besides, she won't tell me anything that she can't share with the world anyway."

Nikki's mom was a good attorney, in the sense that she was good at her job. She didn't share anything about her cases that wasn't public knowledge, even with her family. It was even common for her to spend time away from the home when her case had her in a bad mood so she didn't reveal secrets by accident. I didn't understand all the legal stuff very much, but I knew people kept asking for her and some clients paid her a hefty retainer. That meant that her reputation was good, at least.

"I wonder how busy she's going to be?" There is a sigh in her voice, "Dinner isn't the same when she's not there..."

"Well, she has to make a living somehow." She actually didn't. Her father made enough off his properties that no one in their household had to work, she just chose to.

"I know. She likes her job, but Micheal," her little brother, "is going to miss her. He's so young and he doesn't understand."

Her mom had been a stay-at-home mother when Nikki was his age, so it wasn't like she knew how to handle it either. Although, her dad was the stay-at-home one now, so the difference seemed negligible.

"Yeah, that's going to happen." I really wanted to change the topic to something more interesting, like the newest cards I managed to unwrap for my game, but I knew she wouldn't be as excited as I was, "Have you tried spending time with Michael? He would probably like it."

"But I'm not a stand-in for mom."

"No one is asking you to be a stand-in, but maybe he would appreciate having his big sister spend time with him. He likes trains, right? Take him to that one hobby shop and pick out a train set to put together with him."

"That's actually a great idea!" She seemed to perk up, "You're so smart!"

I looked at my alarm clock, seeing the time and wondering if I should wrap up the call, "I just relate to having a hobby." And thinking it would be nice if someone would share it with me.

"You should join us, Avery. Michael likes you, you know? I'm sure he'd love to spend time with someone that understands this stuff."

"No." I tell her bluntly, "The point is that he is getting his sister's full attention. Besides, I'm busy. I have more assignments than you do and less time to do them."

"But it doesn't cost anything..."

"No, Nikki." I put my foot down, "You have other friends besides me. You're going to make them feel left out if you only spend time with me."

She went silent, which allowed me to continue.

"You're my best friend, Nikki, but I have other things to do now. We aren't kids anymore and my scholarship is dependent on my GPA. After I get the hang of this college thing and balance out my life, we can start hanging out more often. Until then, though, I am going to be firm about needing time to myself. Hang out with Trisha or something."

There was another sidebar conversation where I could only hear her. That was normal. Angi spoke directly into people's heads, so there was no sound for the phone to pick up.

After their conversation, which I didn't bother to keep track of since I couldn't hear the other end, Nikki finally spoke again, "Fine. Angi says there shouldn't be an issue with it."

"You had to ask?"

"I don't want to have to explain things if I have to run off..."

Suddenly, I felt bad. It was true that Nikki's life had changed since that day. I was the only person that knew her situation, so it made sense that she'd want to spend more time with me. She was a total extrovert, but that didn't mean she could share everything with the world.

"Hey... maybe if there's time, I can work something out for next weekend. Nothing expensive, but... something."

"Really?" Her excitement was obvious through the phone.

"I said maybe." Though we both knew that meant I would, "But I think you should spend some time with other people too."

"Yeah. Gonna see if Trisha or Brandy want to go to the zoo then."

"Glad I could help." I look at the time again, knowing I need to go, "I have to do some work before bed, so this is where I leave."

There was a pout, which I shut down, reminding her of what I said not two minutes ago. I needed time to do my work.

"Fine." She whined, "Night, Avery."

"Night, Nikki."

I hang up the phone and put it on the charger after setting it to 'do not disturb'. I can't afford to let it distract me.

I head back out to the living room, where the family computer is sitting. Mom is still sitting on the couch, the news switched over to an old comedy TV show; the kind with a live audience reaction rather than a laugh track.

"It's late, Mom." I say as I walk over to the computer and boot it up, "You should go to bed."

I look to her side, seeing the chocolate bar is now just a wrapper. She doesn't mute the television this time, "Yes mom." She mocks.

I ignore it, "I'm going to do some homework."

She turns her head to look at me, "Come talk with me for a bit."

"We are talking."

"You know what I mean."

Without protest, I take the spot next to her again. She leans over so she is lying against my shoulder, "You've been so busy lately. Are you sure you're coping alright?"

"Of course. Just getting used to it all." A lot had changed lately, but it wasn't unmanageable.

"I'm so proud of you, Honey." She says, "You worked so hard to get here and you just keep working."

"It's not that hard." I just had to deal with the workload and manage myself.

"That's my kiddo." She paused, "But are you sure you're not overworking yourself?"

"I told you I'm fine." I didn't know what else I could be other than fine, "You sound tired, Mom. You should really go to bed." It was subtle, but she was beginning to slur her words.

"Yeah, yeah." She said, but she stood up, "Don't stay up too late. You still need to sleep."

"I know." I tell her as I go to open the document I had been working on for the last few days.

As she heads to her bedroom, I call after her, "Night night. Don't let the bed bugs bite."

She looks back at me with, "If they do?"

"Hit 'em with a shoe and cry-"

"Boohoo." We both say together.

She smiles at me, "I'm serious, Celica, get to bed at a decent time."

I nod and sit down as she goes into her room. I stare at the document and wonder to myself how to continue the story I was trying to tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question(s) of the chapter:  
> What do you think of Nikki and Avery's relationship?  
> What about Avery and their mother?  
> *I use this information to help me know if I am portraying what I intend or if I am completely missing the mark. Though, interpretation is up to the reader, it does help to know what that interpretation is.
> 
> As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I am getting into the groove and trying to flesh things out more while also making it feel natural. Longer chapters are also easier once you get the hang of things.


	13. Breaking the Rules of an Unknown Pattern

The week came and went in a blur. All I could recall was class, homework, and running to and from the kitchen with plate after plate of food. The rest of it was full of nothing but sleep and drifting from event to event with little fanfare. Before I knew it, those events drifted into Saturday, where my plan was to hammer out as many of my assignments that were due the next week as I could so it would free up some time for me to relax.

A lot of my work had already been done, but I wanted to go through final edits for my drafts. My intro to creative writing class required me to turn in one short writing piece every class, each one focusing on a different theme or writing device. I had a entire folder's worth of short writings that covered every topic mentioned in the syllabus, but most hadn't gone through any edits since I first wrote them. I was going to use today to got through and improve them, and tomorrow I would take my time to relax.

I was the only one that would see these unedited pieces, but I was ashamed of them and felt embarrassed that I was ever proud of these. It had only been five weeks since the start of the class, and I already found myself being disgusted with myself for writing some of these things. That thought filled me with pride, as it meant I was improving as a writer, but it also meant I would have to go through each piece carefully and cringe at myself over and over.

I was already on piece number four. Mom was on the couch, watching some live action show about a witch that used her magic to be a detective and solve mysteries. Once again, it was an older show and one I remembered from my childhood. I could recall how we used to always watch new episodes on Sunday nights when I was younger. The show had ended nearly eight years ago, but it was always replaying in the early morning on one channel. She was always saying the cartoons I liked were weird, but I had to wonder if she really understood that I got my taste in television from her.

I would probably be further into my edits if I wasn't busy watching the show with her. In fact, I almost debated just giving up for the day and sitting next to her to watch the show. The episode playing was one of the less common ones. I don't know why it seemed they played some episodes everyday and other ones never got played at all, but when those are ones came on it was hard to look away. I think I almost remembered the episode. Not the end or any small details, but I could remember the premise of it. I think it was the only episode where I solved the mystery as a kid.

Mom had a bag of chips in her lap, which was her excuse for brunch on a Saturday afternoon. I didn't blame her. It was the weekend and we both felt like being lazy.

I looked at my computer and the open document again. I had probably done enough work to allow myself an hour or two break. I pushed myself away from the computer, remembering to save my current progress so it wouldn't be lost. I went to the kitchen and grabbed the chip dip I knew was in the fridge. Afterward, I plopped down on the couch and put the dip between us, motioning for her to pass the bag. She tips the opening my way and I take a handful of chips and start scooping out the dip.

"Are you done with your work?" She asks, taking another chip and stealing a bit of the dip.

"Just a break."

"That mean you're done with the computer?" She asks.

"Yeah. It's yours for now."

"After this episode." She reaches into the bag again and continues to watch the screen.

I didn't complain. We only had one computer in the house and I couldn't hog it all day, especially since it was technically hers. Besides, it wasn't like I needed to finish everything today. Though, I really wanted to. For now though, I didn't mind mindlessly watching this old show with Mom, who put up with my constant questions when I didn't remember old information from the original run.

We were three episodes and an empty bag of chips in when my head started ringing. It felt like my brain was pounding against my skull and threatening to break out. I stood up, my head buried into my hand, and went to the medicine cabinet to grab something to help.

I swing open the cabinet in the bathroom and grabbed the white bottle with the headache medication. I put one into my mouth and turned the water on, cupping my hands underneath so I could use it to help the medicine go down. I didn't expect the headache to go away immediately, but I wished it would. All I could feel was an indescribable pain and agony. I had never had a migraine before, but I imagined this was what one must have felt like.

It wasn't long until it became clear this wasn't a normal headache, as a faint voice started to break through my thoughts; a very familiar, frustrating voice.

"Avery?" Angi shouted straight into my brain.

I rub my temples, knowing this is where my headache was coming from, "Please let me be. Just today. I have work to do." Not that I was currently doing it.

"Yes, but Nikki needs you!".

I sigh, "Tell her to pay attention to the people she's with. If she really needs me she can call me." She really needed to spend time with other people.

"I think they have already been taken captive!"

"Excuse me?" I pause, unsure if I understood that correctly, "Captive?"

"Yes!"

"Explain." I probably sound curt, but I can't understand what's happening.

"The enemy seems to have changed their pattern for some reason!" Even though he was telling, he was surprisingly calm, "We are currently dealing with a Twisted."

I was gobsmacked, "Tell her to transform!" I shouted.

"You okay?" I heard Mom yell from the living room.

"I'm fine!" I shout back.

"We are not!" I choose to ignore that he thought I was talking to him, "Nikki is unable to transform right now!"

"What do you mean she can't transform?" The question comes out low and grumbled as I try not to let Mom hear me.

"Exactly as I said! She cannot transform! We are currently hiding from the Twisted that appears to have taken over this location, but it is as Nikki not Tranquitty!"

"Why can't she transform though?" It was hard to stress how I was feeling when I couldn't shout to emphasize my words.

"Oh!" He kept shouting, which was not helping my headache, "The conditions for her transformation are missing."

How could they be missing? She's transformed plenty of times in the last eight months with no issue. If there was some other condition, I didn't know what it was.

"What condition?" I ask, trying not to lose my mind from the throbbing in my head that only seemed to intensify each time Angi spoke.

"You need to come here."

"I can't fight a Twisted!" I remind him, louder than I should, "I don't have a resonance."

"You are not expected to fight! You do need to come here though!"

Angi's proclivity for explaining absolutely nothing was shining through once again. According to him, he wasn't used to humans and speaking. It showed when he had to elaborate on his thought process.

"Are you sure this is necessary?"

"Absolutely."

I live nearly an hour and a half away from the zoo. Even pushing my car to its limit and getting lucky enough to not run into traffic or construction, it would be a long time. I didn't know how long Nikki had been outrunning the current Twisted, but I doubted she could last another hour and a half given the kind she had fought before. They had powers that were no match for an average person. Without her resonance, even Nikki was nowhere near a threat to them.

Why couldn't she activate it?

"Fine." There went my Saturday.

Why was there a Twisted already? There had already been one early this week. Even the rare time there were two attacks in the same month, they hadn't struck in the same week. Something about the pattern was off and I couldn't figure out what.

"I'm on my way."

"Understood! Please be quick!"

I could feel the headache dissipate as Angi broke communication. Note to self: Angi apparently had no limit to how far he could communicate, but long distance communication caused pain. That was good for future knowledge.

I put the medicine back and left the bathroom. I grabbed my car keys and walked toward the front door.

"Where are you going?" Mom asked, sitting at the computer and playing some game on social media.

"I need to go out."

Her silence begged me to explain myself.

"Nikki needs me for something."

"Is that who you were talking to in the bathroom?"

"Yeah." A lie, but rooted in the fact that Angi had spoken to me on Nikki's behalf. At least, I think he had. I don't think he would separate from her, especially if there was a Twisted around.

"Drive safe, Honey."

I almost felt bad abusing her trust in me. Mom wouldn't even question what I was doing if I said Nikki was involved. I would tell her the truth if she would remember it. Maybe some day.

This isn't the time to think about that though. Right now, I have to get to Nikki and figure out how I am supposed to help her. Until then, I have to hope a miracle keeps her safe.


	14. Twisted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to LingTrees for the kudo! I really do appreciate any love for my story and I appreciate you for reading!
> 
> Sorry if this chapter is a little confusing. The speaker doesn't necessarily think in the same way a human does and I was trying to portray that.

I am a creature of wishes. I both exist and yet do not, only for the sake of making beautiful dreams into more than thoughts. Only humans with a wish that resonates with the universe can perceive my being, and even then it is only a moment. Most will only ever think of me as a dream or a passing thought or a hallucination or a muse. I like being a muse. As far as reality is concerned, I am not to interact with those that do exist beyond granting their wish. This is the most important rule of my kind. We are not to interfere with the living and we do not prejudice one wish over another.

I was not the first one to break that rule. There was someone else that broke it first. I do not know why they broke it, but once it was broken everything had gone wrong. We grant wishes and then move on. Favoring a wish, especially one so beyond the laws of reality, was dangerous. Favoring that wish twisted the laws of the universe so badly that it was threatening to break.

They favored a dangerous wish that wanted to see the universe break, and in doing so broke our rules and the universe with it. Most people do not want the universe to break. Most creatures want to live. I want them to live. Did wanting them to live make me as much of a deviant as the other one? Did asking questions mean the same thing? I had never had questions before.

Before the day I decided to exist, I had never deviated from my role. I had never favored a human or their wish above others. I was only a force of the universe that acted as I was designed to. Even my form was something that betrayed my purpose. Having a form meant I existed. No longer was I simply a force that granted wishes passively.

Wishes...

Wishes are a strange thing. Humans make them all the time, expecting something grandiose to happen to change their lives. They do not understand how wishes work. Wishes can only grant things humans can conceive of, and even that is limited by the one making the wish. Even with my power, I am only a conduit that allows the power of the universe to take the form of someone's wish. Anything that wish becomes is the consequence of the human that made it and it cannot break the laws of reality, even if I have the power to allow it to.

Nikki is only a human. Her wish is full of flaws and nebulous wording that I must obey, even if I know what her intention is. Humans are limited by their own imaginations, which is something I lack. That is why we depend on humans to manifest their wishes. We cannot imagine how a wish should work or what it should look like. We only allow it to be. Any specifications of the wish are reliant on the human and their own mind. I can only know how a wish works after seeing it play out.

The holes in Nikki's wish were obvious in situations like this. Normally, she is strong enough to defeat any Twisted with her might or her mind. No. She wasn't the strong one. She was strong by proxy. Her resonance was tied to how she perceived someone else. That person was not here right now though. They were somewhere else, and as long as Nikki could not imagine them in this place she could not borrow their strength. The only way to change that was for them to be in this place and change her perception.

I sat with Nikki hiding in a bathroom stall, her hand covering her mouth as she continued to try and activate her resonance. It was a futile task. She could not change no matter how hard she tried. The conditions of the wish were not met.

"You should call Avery."

"I'm not dragging them into this." _They'll be in danger._

No matter her words, it was her thoughts that spoke louder. It was a strange thing that humans did not say what they were thinking. Their thoughts were easier to understand and conveyed more than their words ever could. Thoughts had words and pictures, which made their intentions much more clear. That is why it was clear to me that Nikki had no intention to change her perception of the situation. The only thing I could do was change it for her.

I tried to connect my mind to Avery so they could hear my thoughts, but something was pushing back against me. I could only believe that Avery was actively trying to keep me out. I did not blame them. We had no contract and our relationship was uncertain. I would like to respect their mind, but our current concern was more important.

"Avery?" I finally got through to them, making sure my thoughts were only connecting to them, knowing that Nikki would stop me if she knew what I was doing.

"Please let me be. Just today. I have work to do." _Not this guy. Just go away._

Something about me was wrong. They did not seem to like me. When I heard Nikki's thoughts she was always excited. Avery was not excited to speak with me. I could see thoughts of distress and hatred and annoyance, but I was not sure what those were. I knew they felt them, but I could not understand them in any capacity. Even so, knowing they felt that way was not a positive experience.

"Yes, but Nikki needs you!" It was difficult to shout thoughts, as I had never done it before meeting the two. However, Nikki had done me that shouting was how humans communicated excitement, and I wanted to show Avery that I was excited to speak to them as much as I was Nikki. Despite our meeting, Avery was one of the humans I wanted to live. It was for people like them that I deviated from my purpose. 

"Tell her to pay attention to the people she's with. If she really needs me she can call me." _Spend time with some other people for once. I'm with Mom right now. I have work to do._

"I think they have already been taken captive!"

"Excuse me?" _There was no way I heard that right_ , "Captive?" _That definitely isn't what he just said._

"Yes!"

"Explain." _What is going on over there?_

"The enemy seems to have changed their pattern for some reason! We are currently dealing with a Twisted."

"Tell her to transform!" _How am I supposed to help?_

There was a stray thought that was directed at someone else for a moment, "I'm fine!" before Avery returned.

"We are not!" I believe this is what humans called a joke. Changing their words to mean something they did not intend in an effort to lighten the mood. They did not seem to like my joke however. I did not blame them. It was likely in poor taste at the moment, "Nikki is unable to transform right now!" I returned to the matter at hand.

"What do you mean she can't transform?" _What do you mean she can't transform?_

I noted that thought as being the same as their words. Maybe they were finally learning how to make them match up so we could communicate more easily, "Exactly as I said! She cannot transform! We are currently hiding from the Twisted that appears to have taken over this location, but it is as Nikki not Tranquitty!" Unlike humans, my thoughts were exactly what I meant. That was my intention at the very least. It was actually quite difficult to change thoughts in human communication. No wonder they had misunderstandings talking to one another.

"Why can't she transform though?" _Did she lose the ring?_

"Oh! The conditions for her transformation are missing." Avery was missing from the scenario. Nikki had convinced herself Avery could not be here, so she was unable to channel any power her perception could give her.

"What condition?" _You never told us this rule, you creep._

"You need to come here." That thought was easy to explain. They were the missing condition, so they needed to be here.

"I can't fight a Twisted! I don't have a resonance." _I'm useless against them. The only thing I can do hope and prey that Nikki solves the problem. Don't ask me to do something I can't._

It was moments like this I wondered if deviating from my purpose had changed me more than I realized. Humans had emotions, my species did not. We did not exist in the same capacity as them to experience emotions like that, but Avery's thoughts often made something inside of me feel wrong.

They were right. "You are not expected to fight!" Without a resonance, they could not fight the Twisted in any meaningful manner. It was always Nikki and her perception of Avery that stopped those distorted desires. Even so, that meant Avery was helping, "You do need to come here though!" That was all they needed to do for her.

"Are you sure this is necessary?" _Please, let me be. I can't help you._

"Absolutely." They were able to help because they were what Nikki needed. If they could not help, I would not ask.

_I live so far away. If I rushed I may be able to make it. No. There was no way I could get there. Nikki would be better off doing literally anything but depending on me. Can't Angi do something? How am I supposed to help. I can't do anything. Nikki needs me. I'll have to push my car. This is stupid and dangerous. I have to go,_ "Fine."

Their thoughts were a flurry before they finally gave me their response. Afterward, they had even more thoughts. I shared those thoughts with them. I did not know why a Twisted had shown up either. I thought we knew the pattern, but without knowing what they Twisted were after or why they appeared in the first place we could only guess.

"I'm on my way." _I'll try._

"Understood! Please be quick!" If they hurried Nikki, Avery, and I may still have time after the Twisted to spend time with one another. I did not like the other girls Nikki was with earlier. They could not see me and it made me feel negative in a way Avery and Nikki did not.

I ended communication with Avery. The conversation had taken longer than I intended because of the human need to verbally say what they were thinking, but Nikki had managed to stay hidden well in the meantime.

I looked at the resonance on her finger. It was unlikely she had noticed, but the color was faded. There was no power flowing into it because she had cut it off with her own perception. If I was correct, my news would power it again.

"Avery is on their way." I told her.

She looked at me and whispered, "Huh?" _What?_

"I have contacted Avery. They are on their way to assist."

"Angi!" She was doing the shouting thing that meant she was excited. That usually meant I did well, but her thoughts did not match, "Tell me you didn't!" It's too dangerous for them.

"I had to." I gesture to her resonance with a bow. The stone that symbolizes our contract has started to glow again. Once more, her wish in being powered by the universe.

"But you put Avery in danger." How could you?

"I had no other options, Nikki." My species lacks an imagination, which means that I cannot come up with lies no matter how hard I may try. I may only speak the truth and she is aware of that. If I say that Avery is coming, it means that Avery must be coming. We also both know implicitly that Avery did not lie about their arrival. Even if others lie to me, I cannot repeat their lies. I cannot say things I do not know the answer to, so everything I say will always be honest.

Her thoughts are racing as she tries to debate her best option. Even so, I can see that she already knows that she needs to transform. She is a hero through and through, and she would never allow this to continue now that she has her power back to stop it.

She nodded at me and her thoughts said yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look! Angi got a chapter! I am never doing this again. It was so hard to write as him. lol


	15. Welcome to the Jungle

Nikki looked at her ring, which now glowed a faint pink once again on her ring finger. Power was definitely flowing through it now, unlike earlier, and all it cost her was the knowledge that her best friend and crush was rushing toward her location despite the danger. She buried her face into her hands, ready to yell at the situation. She had already failed to keep her other friends safe and now she was counting on her most important one rushing into the same trap. She didn't know what think right now it was overwhelming.

Angi floated only inches from her face, trying to tell her something that she refused to listen to. She was paralyzed and had no desire to move or fight. What good was having these powers when she was not only unable to help others but was actively hurting someone not involved in the first place? Why did Avery always have to come save her? Why couldn't she fight without them? Why couldn't she be the one to protect them for once? She needed a moment to think of a plan before Avery got too close and got caught up in this.

Angi's voice was still faint in her mind as she pushed him out. She was so stupid. She didn't even have a plan. She was only able to run away by some miracle and stay hidden, but she knew that wouldn't last forever. The Twisted had turned every animal they made contact with into their own personal servant. Unlike all the previous ones, this enemy was using their brain and not just pure might. Until now, she didn't have to worry about Twisted creating advanced plans; they had all just used their power to create chaos and ruin. This one though? They were making directed attacks.

Angi's voice was getting clearer in her head, showing that he was breaking through her mental blocks. She needed to keep him out for just a little longer. She needed just a little more time to figure out some kind of plan before he inevitably started telling her what to do. She wanted to figure this out on her own. All she needed was a little more time to make a plan.

She could have Avery's intelligence and logic skills if she were to transform, but she wanted to do this to prove she didn't need to put Avery in danger to be a hero. She had been through this enough times to have an idea of what she should do by now. She had to make a list. If she were transformed right now, what would she be thinking about? What was most important? Identifying who the Twisted was, where they were, what their power was, where the source of their power was located, and the best form to take to beat them.

Those answers were, in order: haven't seen them yet so no idea who it was, they were somewhere in the zoo probably, they were controlling animals somehow, the source was on their person and impossible to find without seeing them, and she couldn't pick a form without knowing what she was up against. Since she had no information, that meant she needed to find the Twisted and somehow get it. If she could stay hidden she could probably spy on whoever it was and get her answers.

That was it! She had a plan! All she had to do was stay hidden and follow the leads she did have until she could find where the Twisted was. After that, all she had to do was observe them and she would know exactly how to beat them. That would be enough to prove she didn't have to endanger others in order to save people and beat the Twisted. In fact, if she could beat them without transforming at all that would be even better.

"Nikki we need to move! Now!" Angi finally broke through her mental barrier at last, "Tranquitty needs to make her appearance and take care of the Twisted as soon as possible."

She finally lifted her head out of her hands, "Don't worry, Angi. I have a plan." And it was perfect. She would prove herself capable as both Nikki and Tranquitty.

"The plan should be transforming immediately and going to confront the Twisted." Angi's voice remained calm as he spoke, to an almost unnerving degree, "There are people who have already been captured and we need to release them before something happens that cannot be fixed simply by overwriting their memories. We need to find why this one is taking people rather than creating chaos."

"That's it!" Angi had filled in the missing piece that could help her fill in some of the blanks in her plan, "We need to find what they are after. They are taking people instead of just breaking stuff. That means those people have to be somewhere and are needed for something."

Angi tilted his head, "Is that relevant at the moment? Do we have to know why they are doing something in order to stop them?"

"Of course we do!" She could finally feel the fire in her soul motivating her, "If we understand them, then we can figure out the best way to beat them."

"The best way to beat them is to have Tranquitty confront and defeat them. Everything else just creates extra steps in the process."

"But, Angi-"

"No." He put his foot down, "You are my hero and your contract states that you will defeat those that threaten the beautiful wishes of others. Those were the terms you agreed to when you accepted your power from me. I will not allow them to be broken. Stop trying to prove something to yourself and transform into Tranquitty so you may defeat this Twisted and put an end to this perverted wish."

She could feel her face heat up a bit. He was usually so commanding, but when he was it upset her. It felt like he didn't believe it her, despite how many Twisted she had already beaten, "We're supposed to be partners, Angi! We work together. You should be supporting me, not ordering me around."

"If that is the logic you are using, would it not be fair to say the reverse as well? If I am your partner and not your superior, then you should also take into account my words and concerns." He explained to her the flaw in her argument, "Tranquitty is your stronger form. You need to change so we can keep any possible damage to a minimum."

The heat in her face was only growing. Logic was not what she wanted when she was so worked up. She wanted him to listen to her, not push her feelings aside like they could be explained away and invalidated, "Well, if I don't use my resonance, I don't have to follow those rules, right? I can do this without my power." She had to prove she didn't need to always ask Avery to put themselves in danger in order to beat a Twisted. She could do it even if Avery wasn't there.

"Nikki, you are too loud and not thinking clearly. Your thoughts are racing and incoherent. You need to calm down and-"

"Don't tell me to calm down!" She shouted louder than she had the entire time, finally having lost her composure and getting tired of Angi's nagging, "I've done this for eight months now! I can do this on my own!"

"But as Tranquitty-"

"I don't need to be Tranquitty this time! I can do this as Nikki!"

As if to make a point, she stood on top of the toilet so she could reach the top of the stall and pull herself over. It would have been simpler to unlock the door and walk out, but she wanted to show that she still had a usable skill set without needing to transform. Angi continued to float in the stall, but watched as she lifted herself over the door. He followed without a question, walking through the door to keep up with her.

"That was exceptionally dangerous. What would you have done if there had been an enemy force on the other side?"

"There wasn't, so it's okay. They probably don't think anyone managed to stay hidden for this long, especially in such an obvious location."

"Or they are already aware of our location and are setting up a trap."

"Have a little bit of optimism, Angi." Nikki pressed her body against the wall next to the bathroom entrance, and slowly pulled the door open. It was just a small opening, but she didn't see anything immediately outside.

There was no cover once she left. The zoo was made with a very open design in mind, so the only places to hide were the bathroom or inside some of the animal houses. She was already inside the first one and the second was the most likely place to find some of the animals that hadn't already managed to escape their enclosures. As far as she was concerned, she would have to make a mad dash through the area.

Nikki felt her breath catch in her throat and had to swallow her nerves. Her legs started twitching as she readied herself to run. This was just like PE in highschool. All she had to do was imagine she was running the mile and it would be easy.

"You ready?" She asked Angi, more trying the psych herself up.

"They can't see me."

That meant it was go time then.

She flung the door open as wide and she could and bolted out of the bathroom, heading toward the direction she remembered the animals dragging people before she had hidden. She could only assume that was the area they were being held, and it was all she had to go one right now.

She had barely left the stall when she heard a crow overhead. She looked up as she ran, seeing that a crow was sitting over the entrance to the bathroom. It kept its eyes glued on her, taking flight to follow her and keep the distance between them short.

"How long was that there?" She turned her head forward so she could see where she was going.

"I do not know." Angi was galloping through the air, following her as closely as he could.

"Did it know we were in there the entire time?"

"I do not know, but it is possible."

"Tsk." She kept running toward the place she suspected the people had been taken, ignoring the crow that was chasing her.

Or, she would have kept running if it wasn't for what was in her way. In the center of the walkway she was using as her guide was a large black cat, mouth open and growling in her direction. If she kept on her current path, she would run straight in to the cat. Instead, she had to take a turn and go around the long way. The cat didn't chase after her, instead watching her in the same way the crow had been doing earlier. 

Now she was veering just off to the side of her intended destination. It wasn't a huge set back, but it did mean it would take her longer. Once again though, she found an animal in her path. This time is was three large wolves, which glared at her and forced her to change direction again. Again, they didn't chase her. Now she was basically going back the way she has originally come from.

"I believe they may be leading you." Angi spoke up.

"What do you mean?"

"These animals are not chasing you. They are merely standing in your way and seem to be directing you somewhere."

"Directing me where?"

"I am unsure. Likely into a trap. If any humans are left wandering the area they may be trying to gather them up."

So their plan was to round up the last of the humans? Does that mean they were planning to take them to where the others were being held? If she was careful and let them lead her without letting them capture her, that meant she could find where everyone was being held. It would be difficult though.

"Angi, I'm going to need your help." If she could send him ahead, she could use him to scope out the area and make sure she knew where the animals were before they could grab her.

"I do not like this plan." He said, having seen what she was thinking.

"Too bad." She saw another large cat ahead of her, telling her she was about to be forced to change directions again, "Run support. I'm going to make these things' heads spin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Listen, I am not 100% sure how this site counts views, but I appriciate every single one. It is fun to make this series and I appriciate everyone that reads it, even if they do not stick around past a single chapter.  
> I'm not into the meat of the plot yet, so I can understand why this is not the most appealing series. I am also not the greatest writer so it may be a pain to read. I just really like writing my idea and telling people a story.   
> Thank you everyone for reading.\\(^u^)/


	16. Plans in Motion

"What's ahead of me, Angi?" Nikki called out to him. They had decided where they needed to go first, and she needed his help to find the safest way there.

"Some crocodiles. They are to the side of the path, so if you stay your current course they should pose no threat to you. You may have to sprint past them, however." He informed her, hovering just above the spot he was talking about.

"Great. Tell me when you're ready to speed up." She was keeping a steady pace that allowed Angi to keep his lead ahead of her to survey their surroundings. If she sped up, he would need to as well to keep the distance between them similar.

"I am ready wherever you are." He could ready her thoughts, so all she needed was to think it about he would respond in turn.

"Let's go!" She shouted, further proving that she did not understand that Angi could hear her thoughts without her needing to yell their plans to the world.

She focused on her legs and started to pick up the pace. She was sure the crocodiles were meant to make her change paths again, but she needed something that was just past these nasty reptiles. Of course, she didn't want them to decide she was too much trouble and take a bite at her, but she was sure that whatever the Twisted was planning needed her to be unharmed. If not they would have already attacked her, right? Even thinking that, Nikki's sprint turned into a mad dash as she passed the crocodiles. She was not in the mood to find out just how much of this chase the Twisted was willing to put up with.

As she passed the animals, she sighed in relief, "Anything else, Angi?"

"Aside from the bird that has not stopped following you, no. It appears that the rest of the path is clear. You should be able to reach the stand without any issue now."

That was good enough, "Thanks! Keep a lookout for me, okay. I'm sure the Twisted will send something else to stop me if I take to long."

She had made her way to a different part of the zoo, taking every twist and turn she could to get here with as little fuss as possible. Of course, it had taken her longer than she had originally intended, but that was better than nothing.

She could see the tiny building coming into view ahead, filling her with hope. It was one of the food stands scattered around the zoo. It was a small structure, big enough to only fit about five people (not that it ever had more than two or three inside). No one was likely still inside, but it was still probably filled to the brim with supplies. Nikki knew for a fact that she could use some of the things there to start fighting back.

As she neared the stand, she could see the door to get inside had been busted open. That made her job easier, but it also meant the structure was already compromised. Hopefully she could find what she needed easily and get out quickly.

"Angi, be sure to warn me as soon as possible if you notice anything. That crow is probably how they're tracking me, so I don't expect them to be long."

"Understood. Please hurry so we may defeat this warped desire."

Nikki rushed into the stall and took a quick look around. The deep fryers were still on, which would have been a great surprise attack if she could somehow safely carry the hot grease. On the counter was a knife stand, with almost all the knives still inside. Those would be useful for some kind of self defense. There were also a large container of salt and pepper, which would cause distress to anything unfortunate enough to get them in any open wound or orifice.

She wasn't an animal abuser, but she knew she would need something to even the playing field with these things. She just had to stick to things that would cause distress first and foremost. Even if the animals were being controlled by the Twisted they probably had some sense of self-preservation and had to follow the laws of their species. With that thought, she walked over to the cooler and started gathering different bits of food. Tomatoes, onions, pickles jars, salsa, anything she could fit in her bag quickly.

"There is a group of wolves making their way toward you. I would suggest you finish what you are doing and leave while you still have the opportunity."

"Could have gone better, but it will have to do. Thanks, Angi." She grabbed one of the knives on her way out and started making her way back toward the path the animals had originally been leading her.

She still figured they meant to lead her into a trap, but she also figured that trap would be the same place the other people were being kept. All she had to do was get there safely and keep herself from getting caught. She was going to reverse the situation on them, all without her powers.

"I do not like this plan." Angi told her, knowing exactly what her intentions were.

"You don't like any of my plans." She corrects him.

"Incorrect. I am neutral on many of your plans. I just do not like that this one depends on getting yourself captured by the Twisted."

"Not captured; led."

"Why do you think they are not aware of your plan already? They could be taking your own calculations into account and working around them."

She put a pout on her face, skidding to a halt as she saw a group of lions ahead of her, "You are such a pessimist sometimes. Believe in me, okay?"

"I do, but that does not mean I agree with your ideas." Angi stays in the sky, looking down at the scene of Nikki confronting the large cats. He watches her according to her wishes. He is to be her eyes and nothing more, "Fight well and you may convince their Twisted that you are just another normal human. Maybe then they will show you the way."

She reached into her bad and pulled out a tomato with her free hand, while she kept the knife in her main one. She sliced it in half and chucked the two pieces straight at the felines. They stepped back slightly, not that her throw was close to them. They she stared at the new red stain on the ground in front of her without a sound.

"Do not turn your back on them." Angi interrupts, "You already know that, correct?"

She nods and reaches into the bag again, pulling out the pickles jar. Cats were ambush predators, just like her little furball back home. If you turned your back, they were likely to pounce. She had to keep looking and fighting if she wanted to convince their master that their weren't playing right into her plan.

She tossed the pickle jar their way, letting it shatter against the ground in front of her. She hadn't been trying to hit them, but the stunt cause there to be a pile of glass and brine coating the ground in front of them. They didn't run, but they were suddenly showing more caution.

"If you scare them you may run into further issues later." 

"I know." 

"Then what is the next step in your plan?" He already knew the answer, but he hoped she would reconsider. He knew that she was making it up as she went, knowing only the bullet points of what she needed to accomplish. It was why she knew she needed to figure out where the people were, but not how to get there. She was guessing the animals wouldn't hurt her, but she wasn't sure and kept changing her stance on if this was part of her plan or not. He was only there to support her and transform her once she realized how childish this lack of planning was.

Even worse, he was overly aware of just how close Avery was getting to them. If Nikki wanted to beat this threat before Avery arrived, she would have transformed and beaten it already. This was about her pride, and Angi knew it. He couldn't force her to change, however. Instead, he would just have to wait and hope she came around quickly

Though he was losing that hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters are going to be a bit more scattered for a while since my schedule is a mess right now. I am sorry.


	17. The Price of Necessity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: there is some implication of self harm and manipulation in this chapter toward the end. I did not say self harm by name, but it is there. Please be aware of this and read at your own discretion. Depictions of such actions much be handled responsibly and I did my best to do just that, but it is still there.

I pull up in front of the zoo's large entrance, finding that no one is outside. It is eerily quiet and unsettling. Whatever the Twisted was planning must have already happened, though the place was too clean for the kind of attacks I had come to expect. Twisted usually began with complete ruin and destruction, only stopping to see what havock they had wrought. But this? This was far more structured and subtle, like they didn't want anyone to realize it was happening. It was more thought out than anything a Twisted had ever done before.

I stop the engine and open my car door, making a beeline for the front door. The glass entrance sparkles in the midday sun, and it becomes apparent that the calm is also present inside the main building. Likewise, there is still no one around. Everything is still around me in the most unnatural of ways.

"Angi?" I call out, trying to figure out what happened here and why everything is so unnatural.

There is static in my brain for a moment while he connects to me. It's so fuzzy and disorienting, but I put up with it because it is more convenient than running around to find them.

"Avery! You have arrived sooner than we expected you!" I can't place it, but there is a twinge of annoyance in his usual loud, monotone voice.

"Traffic was kind and I pressed on the gas." I notice that one of the stands that holds brochures is knocked over and go to pick it up, "What happened here?"

He pauses, "I will try to give you the story as concisely as I can, but you need to do something first!"

I pause just in front of the door that leads out of the main building and into the zoo, my hand lightly touching the handle, "Was coming here not enough?"

"I was hoping it would be, but Nikki is being stubborn!" I drop my hand back to my side while he continues, "Before I explain, you need to find a place to hide and you need to stay as silent as possible!"

"Why?" I know what he just said, but I have to ask. Even so, I make my way toward the visitor help desk to hide behind it. Angi wouldn't tell me to hide needlessly.

"The current Twisted is using animals to capture any humans they can find and bring them somewhere! You need to stay out of sight until we can defeat them! In the meantime, you need to switch over to communicating with your thoughts."

I bite my lip, "I'm not good with that." Keeping my thoughts on topic was hard, which made it hard to hold conversations that way. Angi always learned a little more than I wanted him to.

"I will do most of the talking, you just need to think when you must absolutely communicate!"

I rub my head and duck below the service desk and press myself against the back wall to hide, "Fine." I try to think in complete sentences, which is not an easy task. However, he would have a fit if I did anything else so I put up with the inconvenience.

"Start with what's happening." I demand while trying to mimic speaking with my thoughts, "Nikki has never taken this long to beat a Twisted before. Why is she having trouble with this one?"

There was a noticable pause before he answered me, "She is refusing to transform."

Then I pause to make sure I didn't mishear him, "She what?"

"She is refusing to transform." He repeats himself, "It is limiting her abilities and she is not doing well without them."

"Why is she refusing though?" She could have solved the issue by now. Her refusal had to come from somewhere.

Once again, I am met with a long pause, "Nikki would not appriciate me telling you that information."

"Damnit, Angi!" My thoughts slip out of my mouth as I shout, "Tell me what's going on. I came here because you told me I had to. Have the common decency to at least tell me what is happening!"

There is silence between us, like he is debating how he can talk to me without telling me what I want to know. But unlike him, I don't have time for Nikki's childishness. This isn't the time for her overly optimistic thinking. She needs to be logical and save people. This situation isn't a Saturday morning cartoon.

I sigh and look around under the desk. There is nothing; as much nothing as what Angi is giving me. There isn't even the sign that anyone pushed away from the desk to try and flee the area. It was like everything had happened instantly and no one had time to even realize they were in danger. Whatever really happened here didn't sound like what little Angi had described.

I reach up to pull the desk drawers open, seeing if there is anything useful inside. There are pamphlets and keys and office supplies. The usual stuff you would expect to find. The only strange thing is that one of the draws has a beautiful metal letter opener inside that looked like a danger straight out of a fantasy show. I grab the dull blade and move out from under the desk.

If I want to know the truth, I have to look for it myself. No one has time for us to waste while they are supposedly in some unknown danger. 

"That is a terrible idea, Avery!' Angi interrupts my thoughts, clearly having heard my intentions without me wanting him to.

"You guys clearly aren't getting anywhere, so I'm going to look around." I tighten my grip on the letter opener as I head toward the entrance into the main area.

"If you go outside they may capture you! It is unsafe! We do not know what happens once the people are taken!"

"That's exactly what the issue is." I switch back to speaking, since I am already tired of Angi going through my stray thoughts so easily, "You guys have had so long to figure all of this out, but instead Nikki is wasting time and refusing to transform. You aren't even holding her accountable! You're the one that told her to beat the Twisted, but you're being passive and letting her do whatever she wants."

"I cannot force her so transform." It's the first time I haven't heard him shout his thoughts at me, "I am a conduit. I process the transformation, not initiate it."

I refuse to reply. He's making excuses for her because she can do no wrong in his eyes. No matter how clear it is that she's in over her head, he will continue to support her naive and terrible ideas.

I throw the door open and step out into the wide open layout of the zoo. There are animal houses to the left and right of me, but once again there is no panic or any signs of a Twisted attack. The lack of people is starting to make me think I'm in a horror movie that somehow lost its soundtrack, though the thought of that is somehow even scarier than normal.

"You need to go back to hiding before-"

I reach my limit and finally decide to cut Angi off from my thoughts. I forcefully push his voice out of my thoughts and concentrate on keeping him out. His attempts to get back in cause my head to ache and feel like it is splitting, but I have enough practice over the last eight months to delay him from intruding on my thoughts for at least a little bit.

Once I am sure I have blocked him out, I decide to go left. There isn't really a reason, other than I always went left first whenever I came here. It was a habit from childhood, since the savannah house was quicker to reach if you went left and it was my favorite when I was young. I didn't really feel that way anymore, but old habits die hard.

The first house on the left was the rain forest house. It was a large expansive exhibit that was filled to the brim with tropical plants and birds. There were tanks and ponds filled with native fish and some with insects. There were even some animals that hung out high in the treetops, though it was usually just sloths. It was like walking straight into the Amazon. It was also incredibly humid, which always left my hair and skin in a horrid state. But, hair and skin didn't matter right now. I had to check every building for some kind of clue.

I place my hand on the handle to get into the building. The front entrance is a small glass room, meant to act as a barrier to help keep the exotic animals from escaping. After that is another door you have to open, draped with plastic sheets that hang down from the frame to keep the birds from flying out.

As soon as I pass the second set of doors, I am hit in the face with a blast of heat and humidity. The sound of rushing water fills the air around me, and there is the gentle chirping of birds all around. They fly around the canopy and stop to pick at the little bowls of seeds and fruit hidden in the trees around the area.

I blink a few times, noticing that nothing here is any different than usual. Well, there aren't any other people, but that's what I expected given the state of the entrance. I'm more surprised by the general calm of the setting. It feels like nothing has really changed at all. In fact, none of the animals are even acting strangely in the way I expected based on Angi's ramblings.

I walk through the habitat from beginning to end. It's the same exhibit as always, even the sloth is relaxing at the top of her tree today. None yet of the animals bother me or even seem to really pay attention to me. The letter opener I grabbed for defense won't find any use here.

Suddenly, there is pain in my head; the kind Angi brings when he wants to get into my mind. I continue to try and push back against him even as it feels like my head is going to split in two. It takes all my effort to keep him out and my head doesn't stop hurting, but the pain lowers to a small throb and he is kept at bay. The next time he tries to get in, I doubt I will be able to push back against him.

I bring myself back to attention after dealing with that, and finish making my way out of the habitat. The exit is nearly identical to the entrance, but it only opens one way so people don't use it to come in. I think it is supposed to help keep foot tragic going in a specific direction. Having only one entrance makes it so there is only one direction to go to see everything inside. Though, I was going more to investigate than to explore the wonders of nature, so I guess the point was moot.

Once I stepped back outside, I could feel how sticky my skin had become from being in the high humidity. I wiped the sweat from my cheek using the sleeve of my shirt and began moving toward the next habitat; tundra. I think whoever planned the layout of the zoo must have been a genius, because they put the coolest habitat right next to the hotest one. They were a saint that knew everyone would want to cool off after that vibrant sauna.

Unlike the rainforest habitat, the entrance to the tundra house was just one automatic door that also served as the exit. I step inside, sighing in relief as the cool air brushes against me. I stand at the entrance for a moment, just enjoying the feeling the overhead fans at the entrance provide.

However, I have to keep moving as quickly as I can to figure out the issue. Though the second I look ahead, I think I know exactly what is happening. The penguins are the first thing I see, swimming in their pool and preening themselves. Past them are seals, and past that are even more animals. Rows of animals as far back as the building goes, going around in a circle until it loops back to the entrance. I barely need to even move to see what the issue is.

The animals are fine. There are no people, but there are animals everywhere. Angi said they were acting maliciously, but all I saw were normal animals going about their lives. I had a theory about what was actually happening here, but I needed confirmation.

I sigh to myself and rub my head. I need one last piece of information, but I can only get it from one particular person. I am going to have to let Angi back into my thoughts, and I can only imagine how annoying he is going to be once I let him in again.

I take a deep breath and open my mind for him, "Angi?"

"Avery!" He responds immediately, somehow yelling louder than usual, "You should no-"

"Don't block you from invading my personal and private thoughts. Got it." I cut him off, not in the mood for the lecture I know he wants to give me, "I need you to do something for me."

"Nikki is not currently-"

"I said you, not Nikki." As much as I hate it, Angi is the only one that can fill in the missing pieces to my theory, "Can you just say some things for me?"

He pauses for a moment, "I will attempt to comply." For once, he doesn't yell at me.

I take a deep breath and begin, "Do not repeat after me. I need you to mean what I'm going to have you say. Do you understand? Can you acquiesce?"

"I understand and I can say anything as long as you are telling me the truth!" And he was back to yelling almost immediately.

That was exactly what I needed.

"Alright. First statement: Nikki is in the zoo."

"Nikki is in the zoo! We already know that!" He complains slightly at having to say something he already knows, but he does it anyway.

"Second statement: Avery is in the zoo."

"Avery is in the zoo!" He answers immediately.

"Third statement: Nikki and Avery went to the same zoo."

"Nikki and Avery went to the same zoo!"

"Fourth statement: Nikki and Avery are currently in the same zoo."

There is silence between the two of us, which tells me exactly what I need to know before he even answers, "I cannot make that statement!"

Bingo! I was on the right track.

"Fifth statement: The Twisted has taken everyone that was in the zoo with Nikki hostage."

"The Twisted has taken everyone that was in the zoo with Nikki hostage!"

"Sixth statement: Nikki has already been taken hostage."

There is a pause, and I wonder if that theory was wrong. However, "Nikki has already been taken hostage!"

"Final statement: Avery is not being held hostage."

"You... are not being held hostage."

He and I stand in silence, taking in the truth we had just confirmed. Angi cannot lie even by accident, so everything he said must be accurate. Whatever the Twisted was planning, Nikki and the other patrons were already in its clutches.

"I don't know what is happening with you guys, but I think you're already doing exactly what the Twisted wants. I'm fine where I am, but you guys aren't. You need to get Nikki to transform, otherwise everyone else will continue to stay in its trap."

"I am aware that Nikki must transform to beat the current Twisted, but, as I said before, I cannot force her to."

My fingers fiddle haphazardly with the letter opener I had taken from the front desk. It's not a knife, just a dull blade that looks like a knife. With enough force though it could still stab through something. I meant for it to be used in an emergency, and I'm sure this counted in some respect.

"Angi, say two more things for me."

"Avery, no! You should not do that!"

I chuckle slightly, "Oh good. You already invaded my thoughts enough to know what I'm thinking." Made it easier if I didn't have to say it.

"You know that is manipulation and will hurt Nikki!"

"Her decision is hurting everyone. We can't know who else is being hurt or how while she messes around and refuses to do her job. If being manipulative is the only thing that will move her to action, then it is worth it."

"Avery!"

"Tell her exactly what I am about to say. It won't be a lie, but it will get the point across."

Even if I have to manipulate Nikki to be the hero everyone needs, I will do it. She is the only one that can stop the Twisted, and I will make sure she does it no matter the cost. Although, I don't like the price I end up having to pay for such things, "Tell Nikki that she has about fifteen minutes."

**Author's Note:**

> I'll figure out tags as I go. Honestly, I am bad at figuring out how to label things.


End file.
